


Blinding Lights

by shoyousugar



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, I’m sorry, Moving On, Romance, Slice of Life, Trauma, i’m just dramatic about the word ‘nude’, past trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-19
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:01:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 67,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26544901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shoyousugar/pseuds/shoyousugar
Summary: Menagerie Magazine; Faunus Uncaged At LastThat was the tag line for the agency Blake worked for.But when Weiss Schnee buys over the company, moving in half of her staff. A blonde model decides to make Blake’s life a lot more interesting than it was before.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Coco Adel/Velvet Scarlatina, Jaune Arc/Pyrrha Nikos, Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee
Comments: 84
Kudos: 286





	1. Chapter 1

Menagerie Magazine; Faunus Uncaged At Last. 

This was the tag line for the agency Blake worked for, having worked in journalism for quite some time and at the same company for years. The magazine was supposed to be Faunus only, a piece of joy each week that fully represented Faunus and how they were _exactly_ like humans.

But if that was the case, why had Weiss Schnee just bought the company and moved half of the members of her staff into the building? Because it wasn’t ending well. A merger meant chaos, and chaos meant people got fired to stop said chaos.

“I can’t stand this,” Blake grumbles as she clears up her desk, preparing for her and her desk partner to be moved a few cubes down. “I mean, Velv, _why_ are we even moving desks?”

“You’ve been wanting to move desks for a while now though?” Velvet’s ears flicked curiously.

“Yes, but I don’t like being forced to do anything, I like having a choice.”

“ _Oh_ , and don’t we all know it-“

“Shut up!” Blake laughed, nudging her friend with her elbow as they quickly dashed a few cubes down, snagging the one directly in the centre of the room. It was perfect. Exactly in the centre and able to see along both corridors, it was also right next to the photocopier which was a godsend on its own. They had been eyeing this cube for a while, waiting for the last occupant to either die off or get fired.

Blake supposed that today must have to have some luck somewhere, so she was happy for the change in desks to some degree. Whichever head office god gave them this workspace knew her too well. Right now though, she wanted to kill the girl that was talking a mile a minute along the other side of the row, declaring that she was Miss Schnee’s PA. 

“I hate this.”

“Blake.”

“What? I bet you do, too. I mean, it’s a _Faunus_ magazine. I doubt a human could specialise in anything Faunus related,” Blake said, eyes narrowed and growling at a girl with indigo hair, who was glaring back at her from across the room. “I hate this.” She repeated again. 

Velvet laughed and fell back into her new office chair, ears flailing as she spun around to her desk, cardboard box filled with her stuff being placed on the desk. “What’s with the hostility?” Velvet asked, smirking as she raised an eyebrow at Blake.

Blake paused in her beginning to remove things from her box, taking a moment to consider what Velvet just said, to consider her actions in the last hour or so before they even got into the building. She didn’t want to come off as hostile, far from it. She just genuinely didn’t think that humans could write about Faunus.

“I’m just stressed, sorry. I don’t mean to take it out on all of this,” Blake said, finger twirling in the air to gesture to the mayhem around her.

Velvet shook her head, smiling. “No, it’s fine... I thought you might’ve been slipping into that old... y’know.”

She was. But she wouldn’t admit that out loud. Because, for a start, her therapist would be furious. 

“No, I’m fine,” Blake chuckled, waving her off as she turned back around to begin removing things from her box. The truth was that she would sometimes still slip into old habits, a ghostly hand on her hip and a whisper of air passing her ear, making her hair stand on end. That same sickly sweet voice telling her over and over that she would never amount to anything, that humans were not to be trusted no matter the cost.

It had been years since her ex, Adam, had been gone. Dumped like a ton of bricks as soon as she could get out. But he still had an effect on her, one that she couldn’t quite shake.

Because now, whenever she wanted to go upstairs to head office, there was always the nagging feeling that he would still be there. Standing in front of his desk and beckoning her over, grinning like he had won a prize when in reality all he had done was rig the game and called himself a champion.

There wasn’t a lot Blake could do about it. It just hurt her thinking of all of the things he did to her. Of the early mornings where she would wake up to Adam clinging to her hips so hard that his nails would leave marks, possessive and determined to stop her from doing anything but his bidding. Of the late nights where she would just have to lie there and take whatever he gave her. Whether that be a slap, a punch, a hand slipping under the waistband of her jeans... she just had to take it.

She couldn’t get out.

But the most egregious offender was the fact that he was one of the fucking _CEO’s_ of Menagerie Magazine when they had started dating. All Blake knew was that she came for an interview one day and left with not only a job but a handsome man’s phone number. Next thing she knew, both of those things were being dangled over her head for years on end.

The man preached he was a proprietor of Faunus rights, that he was a messiah, when behind closed doors he treated his girlfriend like an animal.

Blake would never be sorry for finally getting out, would never apologise for calling the cops, and would certainly never care that it became a scandal for him, inevitably having him removed from Menagerie Magazine.

“Blake? Are you listening?” Velvet asked from somewhere behind her, causing Blake to snap out of the trance she had went into.

“Sorry, what were you saying?” She asked, not turning around just yet, having a sneaking suspicion that every wound was wide open now, even the slightest pinch of air could send her into a panic.

“I was saying that Sun looks pissed, a bunch of new models just moved in.”

“Finally, we needed someone to give him a run for his money,” Blake giggled, Velvet joining in as they both went about setting out their mementos on their desks. Sun wasn’t horrible, just... _arrogant_. In a way that extremely annoyed Blake and made her want to chuck herself out of a window if he tried to ask her out again. She respected the tenacity but she hated _his_ lack of respect.

Blake took a step back, taking in the sight of her desk. She couldn’t help but think it looked bare. With only a few photos of herself and Velvet, then a photo of her parents being set out. Of course, she had a few selections of books to read through on her break. Additionally, there was a dictionary and a thesaurus in case she wanted to make a point to another journalist in the office.

(She had almost been placed on suspension the last time she handed someone a thesaurus and told them that they should either get their eyes checked or diagnosed for dyslexia. Which she realised was a horrible thing to say but she paid no attention to that memory. Regretting each word now that she was no longer angry.) 

A swarm of people ran past their cubicle, causing a ruckus outside that caused both Blake and Velvet to share a confused look. She had to admit, Blake had worked here in this office for over five years now, and she had never seen quite so many people run in the same direction. So either for the first time there was a fire or someone had been shot. 

Both would bring a little bit of excitement to her morning, so she didn’t really care what was going on.

The same girl from earlier with indigo hair was standing outside of their cubicle, her arms folded and holding an unamused expression as she watched the ongoing traffic in the corridor. 

“Excuse me,” Blake said, directed towards said girl who immediately swivelled her head towards her. “What’s going on?”

“Oh, it’s just Yang making an entrance, as usual,” she said dryly, shrugging. That seemed to peak Velvet’s interest, as she leaned towards Blake to glance out of the cubicle, her ears bouncing off of Blake’s head.

“Yang? As in, Yang Xiao Long?” Velvet squealed, an excited grin on her face as she looked back over to the girl who’s name they still didn’t know. The girl nodded, half smirking, “Yeah, she’s working here now.”

Blake grimaced at the thought. Yang was Vale’s top model, mostly modelling gender neutral clothes that would typically be advertised as menswear, to make it a point that anyone could wear whatever they wanted. She had become a sort of gay icon, the phrase making Blake cringe, yet it was true all the same.

But Blake knew who she was, because Yang had been the bane of her life at Vale fashion week earlier on in the year. She refused to believe that one human could be such a sloppy drunk, completely unable to be interviewed with only a few drinks down. 

“At least Sun won’t be the talk of the office anymore...” Blake mumbled, ears pinning in annoyance as she slipped back over to her desk. Velvet rolled her eyes and flicked the back of Blake’s head as she passed by her, all the while Yang was down the hallway being fawned over. 

* * *

The rest of their morning, going into afternoon wasn’t at all productive. All workloads had been placed on hold until the next morning, when every member of staff would be settled into their new workspace. 

Blake didn’t at all mind that, it left a window of opportunity for her to catch up on her reading. 

“What do you think Yang’s like?” Velvet asked as she messed around with the camera in her lap, a pile of photos sat beside her as she went through everything she needed for their next article. That was how their duo worked, with them working together for years. Velvet was a photojournalist, who had been paired up with Blake.  Combined with Blake’s writing skills and Velvet’s excellent photography work, their articles were rarely a bad read. 

“An asshole.”

“Is this about that time we interviewed her?”

“ _Yes_.”

“Blake, she was _out of it_ ,” Velvet laughed, leaning back in her chair as she glanced over at Blake. “Besides, we’re probably gonna have to work with her at some point.”

Blake hadn’t considered that yet, and now that she had she wasn’t thrilled. 

“You’re _so_ petty!”

“ _What_?! No I’m not, I just don’t have time for assholes...” Blake pouted, kicking her feet up onto the desk as she attempted to bury herself back in her novel. She could see Velvet rolling her eyes and going back to whatever she was doing.

Or at least she thought so, until a rubber band ball smacked her in the head.

“What was that for?!”

“Because you’re being a bitch! It wouldn’t kill you to get to know some of these people!” Velvet laughed, swinging to the left to avoid the ball being thrown back at her. She didn’t have to dodge at all, in all honesty, because it went straight over the wall and into the next cubicle, smacking someone on the head. 

Blake covered her mouth with her hands, ears pinning back against her head, completely mortified. The ball was thrown back, directly landing in Blake’s lap. “So sorry, Reese!” She yelled, eyes screwing shut as she cringed at herself. She glared over at Velvet, who had a hand over her mouth as she attempted to withhold her laughter. 

“That was your fault!” Blake whispered harshly, throwing the ball again and having it land perfectly in Velvet’s lap. 

“It’s not my fault you’re a disaster!”

“Velvet!”

The phone began ringing next to Blake’s computer, causing her to stumble backwards on the chair, just barely keeping balance. Velvet began to laugh again, causing Blake to shush her as she grabbed the phone. 

“Shut up, its head office!- _Hello_?”

“Hello, is this Blake Belladonna?”

“Yes, this is Blake Belladonna.”

“Cool!- Er, I mean, _good_. Miss Schnee has asked that you and Velvet Scarlatina go to her office...” the girl on the phone trailed off, sounding like she had pressed it to her shoulder. “Is it go to her office or come to her office?- _Oh_ , or should I have said meet you in her office-“

“Ruby, just tell them to come up.”

Blake narrowed her eyes, laughing silently at the ridiculousness of this phone call. The girl on the other end cleared her throat, saying, “Yes, Miss Schnee would like to meet you in her office, immediately.”

“That won’t be a problem, we’ll be there soon.”

Blake hung up the phone with an audible clunk, before turning to Velvet with a smirk. “We’re wanted in Weiss Schnee’s office.”

“ _Fuck_.”

Blake thought that was the appropriate response to what she had just said. 

* * *

Blake and Velvet marched their way through the building, avoiding other people like the plague. Or at least Blake was, Velvet had spoken to the half of the office’s population by the time they got to the elevator.

“Everyone seems nice,” Velvet said, tilting her head towards Blake, “maybe you should get to know some of them.”

“Velv, I’m honestly still... just trying to get back to normal.” She sighed, eyes closing as she felt the scar on her hip as if the knife was tearing through tissue and muscle all over again, a hand on her throat and voice in her head saying that she wasn’t allowed to move on without him. 

“I understand, but you know I’m here to help if you need it, right?”

“I know,” Blake said as the elevator dinged and they stepped out into the hallway.

The whole top floor of the building was practically just Miss Schnee’s office. Sure, the meeting rooms were on this floor, and her PA probably had her own office as well. But apart from that the rest of the space was hers.

It never used to be, it was Adam’s years ago, so coming here always sent a chill down Blake’s spine despite him being gone.

“Can I just chill in your office for a bit? I’m bored.” Blake heard come from behind the office door, voice familiar but unable to place.

“I have a meeting, I don’t really want you hanging around like a bad smell.” Blake recognised that voice, that was Weiss. She had heard her in the background of the phone call earlier.

“ _Please_?”

“ _Fine_ , but I’m warning you, if you embarrass me-“

Blake cut the reprimanding short as she knocked on the door, waiting a moment before opening it fully, letting herself and Velvet into the office.

Blake heard Velvet stifle a laugh as they walked inside. She had expected to see Weiss and her assistant, which she did see. Weiss was prettier than she knew of, long white hair pulled back into a tight braid, her light blue pant suit fitting her better than possible. Her assistant was in the background, sorting through folders, the cross on her necklace dangling over the papers. She seemed to parallel Weiss’ outfit, wearing a black shirt and dusty red trousers. 

However, what she didn’t expect to see was Yang Xiao Long, standing proudly, hands tucked into the pockets of her brown cargo pants, caramel shirt hanging loosely over a white tank top. Blake wouldn’t lie and say she wasn’t attractive, her biceps on display with the short sleeves of her shirt and the collar of her shirt somehow accentuating the muscles in her neck.

“It’s fantastic to meet you both, I’m Weiss,” She said, reaching her hand out to shake Blake’s hand, then shaking Velvet’s. She must have noticed them both staring at Yang, letting out a long sigh as she gestured towards her. “This is my... _acquaintance_ -“

“Yang,” The blonde said, moving in front of Weiss, grinning as she eagerly took hold of Blake’s hand, “Yang Xiao Long.”

Blake couldn’t help but laugh at the awkward nervousness of the girl in front of her, completely different from the time before when she had been a mess, for a lack of a better word.

“And you must be one of the models,” Yang said, grin sliding into a smirk as smoothly as she could. Blake chuckled again, shaking her head.

“No, I’m Blake Belladonna, one of the journalists that work here.”

“Wait...” Yang said, smile half subsiding as she tilted her head to the side, suddenly in thought. “Have we met before?”

“Yes, actually,” Blake said. There was a certain satisfaction within her that she would finally get to tell this girl off, after months of being annoyed over it. “I was supposed to interview you at the after party of the Vale fashion week, but you were already so drunk you could barely string a sentence together.”

The smile disappeared completely, replaced with mortification as she buried her face in her other hand, cheeks lighting up pink.

“I remember now...” she mumbled. Weiss was glaring at Yang, shaking her head and completely unamused by her. “I am _so_ sorry.”

“It’s fine, don’t worry,” Blake said, finding herself smiling as she gently squeezed her hand back. She had no clue what had come over her, suddenly very charmed by the person in front of her. She took her hand back, realising that they had been standing like that for a good few minutes now.

“Did you need something from us, Miss Schnee?” Velvet asked, bopping Blake’s head with one of her ears to grab her attention. Weiss hummed and shook her head. “You don’t have to call me Miss Schnee, Weiss is fine,” she said, drawing a hum of acknowledgement from both girls.

“But, _yes_ , I’ve been reading through your articles. You’re quite the duo...” Weiss said, moving over to her desk and taking a file from her assistant, holding it in the air to emphasise her point.

“Thank you-“

“So, I want you both working Mistral fashion week this year.”

Blake’s voice cracked, one ear pointed whilst the other flopped forward in confusion. How... could she reply to that?

“Um... sorry, but we’re banned from working fashion weeks...” Velvet said, clearing her throat awkwardly. She and Blake glanced at each other, sharing a nervous look as Weiss went silent for a moment, fiddling with her phone.

“No worries, I had the ban lifted when I explained how half of the journalists in this building seem to be illiterate and that you were the best I had seen in Atlas _and_ Vale.”

They both shared another look, of complete and total confusion. To be fair, Blake hated most of the people who worked in this building. And she also though they were illiterate, which was why she hated them. They all thought they were something special when they really... weren’t. _At all_.

“How, exactly, did you get banned to begin with?” Weiss asked, leaning back against her desk as she handed the file back to her assistant. Blake hummed, stuttering over herself for a moment.

“Blake got irritated by Reese Chloris’ article on skater fashion trends and handed her a thesaurus. Our last boss told us that if fashion weeks got her so worked up, then we were banned.”

“I see...” Weiss said, her acrylic nail caught between her teeth. “ _Please_ , don’t hesitate to do that again.” 

“Hot _and_ feisty, what a dream,” Yang drawled, grinning over at Blake, her hands held conservatively behind her back.

“You recover quickly,” Blake said, smirking as she folded her arms.

“I don’t need to recover, I could go all day,” Yang says quietly, winking at Blake. She never thought she would be blushing at Yang, but here she was, blushing and giggling.

“If you’re quite finished, _Yang_ ,” Weiss snapped at the blonde, eyes narrowed at her. “You can both feel free to take the rest of the day off. Nothing’s happening here anyway.”

Blake and Velvet nodded and thanked her, turning to leave the office. Yang walked behind them, stepping out of the office to guide them down the hallway. She should’ve been embarrassed, Blake knew that, but she found herself watching the way Yang’s clothes perfectly hung over her body, features flawless. 

Of course, Blake thought, _of course_ this would happen to her. It always did, she found herself attracted to handsome assholes. Which Yang was to an unbelievable degree and she couldn’t deny that. 

“Um, I’m still really sorry about that interview...” Yang said, sheepishly scratching behind her neck, gold bracelets jingling as she brought her hand up. Blake hummed and shrugged, not bothered now that she had finally got to take Yang down a peg. 

“Don’t worry about it, it’s fine now,” Blake said, smiling over at the blonde. She had to forcibly remove herself from looking at Yang, her lilac eyes being unbelievably gorgeous. “Besides, you were drunk. You didn’t mean it.” 

_That_ slipping out of her mouth surprised her, it even surprised Velvet as she had to turn away, lips pursed in an attempt to stop herself from smiling.

“Let me make it up to you,” Yang said, stopping next to the elevator, resting her hand above the buttons to allow Blake access. “Let me take you out for dinner.”

“That sounds more like a date than a making up for past wrong doings.”

“It’ll only be a date if you want it to be,” Yang said, grinning and shrugging. “What do you say?”

“I’ll think about it,” Blake said. The elevator dinged, the metal doors sliding open to allowed Blake and Velvet to stroll inside. Yang was left standing, looking adorably dumbfounded. Her face stuck in a wide eyed, half smirking expression, looking almost lovestruck.

“Will you really?” She asked, blonde hair waving as she stepped to the side. Blake pushes the button of their floor on the elevator.

“Probably not,” she says, smirking as the doors began to slide shut again. Yang broke out into a fit of cheerful laughter, subsiding when the elevator closed its doors and started to descend.

It left both Blake and Velvet in a comfortable silence for a few moments, the whirring of the machine going on around them.

“I think she likes you.”

“She doesn’t even know me.”

“Well, sometimes people are just drawn to each other. You read books, you know what I’m talking about.”

They both glanced at each other, heads turning slowly before they burst out laughing. Attraction by some weird cosmic force was unlikely and unrealistic. Blake didn’t buy into any of that stuff for real life, had learned not to after a failed love.

Because everything with Adam had felt perfect, like it was meant to be. Two passionate people coming together in a gorgeous union. Blake learned that wasn’t the truth. He was fuelled by rage, directed at things he created within his own mind, screaming at the world for taking something he never deserved to have.

She had tried to ride the bull by the horns, to take control for once. But her voice always fell on deaf ears, drowned out by his overwhelming presence. Maybe that was the problem, he was handsome, a rich and powerful man who could charm a jury with his smile. But there was no way he could convince them that she stuck the knife in herself, that she had bruised places on her body that she could never reach.

Blake will never forget the look on his face, when the judge granted her a restraining order and told Adam that he would have to sign a contract, forfeiting lien to Blake for the damage he caused. She will never forget how he looked, with the burn mark on his left eye where she smacked him with a clothes iron, hidden under his sunglasses.

And she will never forget the way they rolled out the red carpet for him, letting him saunter on with his life as everyone began to sweep everything right underneath that same carpet. Meanwhile Blake was left, sobbing into herself more than once when she realised she would likely never love again.

But a modern fairytale? That would be nice right about now. 


	2. Chapter 2

As soon as the next morning came, both Blake and Velvet were smacked with the unbearable task of having to work on a photo shoot from first thing in the morning until after two o’ clock in the afternoon. Which wouldn’t sound bad to those who haven’t worked on the set of a photoshoot, but Blake knew the ins and outs of this place.

Photoshoots involved running around after the artistic director, which ended up in her carrying random things for no reason. She once carried the same makeup palette to four different places, all of them saying that they didn’t need it, only for her to discover that she was meant to put in the trash, where the artistic director _clearly_ belonged because he never explicitly told her that.

She figured that most people just let the power go to their heads, sending their staff elsewhere just because they could, on a total power trip. But it was annoying, having to meet with other people on this huge _fucking_ building. Each floor seemed to represent one of the nine circles of hell, feeling like the floor was about to crack and the devil himself was going to pull her under.

Maybe she was just melodramatic, or maybe she had just suddenly been irritated by the girl smacking her with a clothing rack as she zoomed by, paying no attention to Blake as she hurried on. Blake was admittedly just annoyed by the fact that she could barely get coffee from the break room in peace without being attacked by random personnel.

“This is a total shit-show,” Blake said, marching into her cubicle and pointing to the corridor outside, “I mean, who the hell is so awake at this time in the morning that they can sprint with a clothes rack?”

“The people who need to do that to earn a living wage?”

“ _Fuck off..._ ” Blake grumbled, quietly sipping her coffee as tapped on her phone, checking the time. Velvet was already laughing at her expense, Blake’s sour mood always being amusing to onlookers. It tended to be an onslaught of insults and reprimands that she didn’t at all mean, resulting in an apology dinner that weekend.

“You’re not excited to see Yang again?-“

“No, I’m not,” Blake snapped, eyes narrowed, quickly shutting down any teasing that was about to happen. Instead, she had managed to amplify Velvet’s intentions, her grin widening as well as her eyes, ears twitching slightly in excitement.

“Oh my god,” she gasped, giggling, “you’re _actually_ interested.”

“I am not!”

“You _so_ are!”

“It’s too early for this,” Blake grumbled, sipping her coffee again as she grabbed her keys and clipboard, phone being slid into the back pocket of her trousers, cardigan sliding around as she moved. Velvet hummed, clearly not believing Blake as she set about grabbing her own stuff.

“What’s on the agenda today?” Velvet asked, travel mug filled with her own coffee in hand as she leaned over Blake’s shoulder, peering at their list of things to do. Blake huffed, tapping on the clipboard.

“Ironically, we’re working on Yang’s photoshoot today.”

“ _Ooh_ , and Pyrrha Nikos. I heard she’s really nice.”

“ _I heard_ is different from _she is_ ,” Blake said, reminding herself more than Velvet.

Adam had drummed that rule into her head, but it was the only thing she still thought about. She used to take everything at face value, would only consider someone’s actions once they proved that they couldn’t be trusted. 

Now, she didn’t trust anyone. They had to earn that trust. She had met and seen plenty of people, most of them kind and would be considered nice. But sometimes, with matters in the world, they saw the signs but hate the cause, claimed that nothing stayed the same for long. Blake supposed that was just a product of the world they lived in.

“This should be fun,” Velvet says, flicking an eyebrow upwards as she backs out of the cubicle, already on her way towards the set. Blake could only hum in response, following behind her. 

* * *

“Valkyrie! We need a little blush over here!” 

The set was packed, lit up with lights and surrounded by staff. Blake had to appreciate the amount of work that went into only one or two people having their picture taken. There was at least three makeup artists here, a pair of hair stylists and a whole bunch of designers on hand in case something went wrong with the clothing the models wore. 

She also appreciated that it was only herself and Velvet here, making it feel like some sort of private club. The director stood next to the cameramen, his tiny circular glasses pressed to the bridge of his nose as he nodded and shouted commands as well as encouragements. She could respect this kind of person, which meant that today wouldn’t be so hard. 

She glanced towards the set, where Yang was half sat on a bar stool. There was no denying how attractive she was, even Blake had to admit that.

She wore something similar to what Weiss’ assistant wore the day before, which she found to be a happy coincidence. A pair of dusty red skintight jeans, a black shirt on top that lay open with her abs on full display. Only hiding her cleavage under the fabric thanks to it being tucked into her jeans. Aviator shades hid her eyes, grinning as she wore an air of confidence about her that demanded the attention of the entire room. She was littered with gold jewellery. Necklace, earrings, bracelets, watch and rings. All golden.

Yang must have caught her walking in- or staring for that matter. Her gaze fell to Blake and she could feel it, even from behind the sunglasses. A hand came up to whip off her shades, grin softening to what felt like a genuine smile. She winked at her, cheeks creasing her face as she continued to smile.

“Yang! Focus!”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m focused!” She boomed, shades being slid back on as she adjusted her position on the stool.

Blake giggled, finding her getting into trouble just because she was flirting to be adorable, if not cliche. Something about Yang was... _nice_. Like positivity and charm were just concepts made up for Yang to exist, so that there were finally words in their language to describe her at all or else someone might call her perfection without purpose.

“She’s totally into you,” Velvet whispered, voice brushing off of Blake’s Faunus ear. Blake rolled her eyes, glancing down at her clipboard, her finger painting an invisible drawing in the creases of the paper.

“I don’t want to go through anything like what happened before again...” Blake said quietly, Velvet humming in response as they stopped walking, hidden between clothing racks. “Besides, I don’t know if she could understand me-“

“Don’t give me that bullshit, _you_ don’t even understand _yourself_ ,” Velvet said, drawing a dry laugh from Blake as she busied herself with going through the checklist attached to one of the racks, counting each individual shirt and jacket to make sure it matched with the list.

In truth, it wasn’t about that. Not really. Of course, she would do anything to avoid having to go through a relationship like the one she had with Adam. That went without saying so. But a part of her felt bad if she showed any sort of interest, like it was all just leading the poor girl on when she wasn’t sure what she wanted herself.

To be fair, Blake thought that was allowed for herself. She had been alone for a long time, waging a war between four walls where she was both defeated and victorious. It hurt, to be on her own, with only the occasional phone call from her friend Ilia and weekly checkups from her parents.

She was lucky to have Velvet with her, lucky that they had met by complete chance on the day they were interviewed for the same job.

Velvet was always there for her, encouraging and accepting, often giving her that extra push forward that she needed. It was something you couldn’t get from a therapist, an honest opinion fuelled with good intentions. Most therapists that Blake had had in her life claimed that they were in the industry to help people, but she could more than guarantee that they were relieved to see the back of her at the end of fifty minutes.

“Oh my god!” Velvet squealed, an adorable giggle escaping past her lips. Blake quirked up an eyebrow, confused and intrigued. Velvet flashed Blake’s own phone at her, the screen lit up with a notification. ‘Yang.X.Long requested to follow you’ it read. Suspicious (and unbelievably this impeccable timing) she glanced over to Yang.

Sure enough, she was checking her phone, glancing over at Blake to gauge her reaction. Without a second thought, she accepted the request, making a mental note to follow her back later.

“Told you she was into you.”

“Still don’t know that for sure.”

“Fine, we’ll both just continue our membership in the single bisexuals club,” Velvet chuckled, stepping aside to check the list on the other half of the clothing rack.

The rack of clothes shook, rattling with the force of being hit by someone, who had grunted and fell to the ground. Blake glanced over at the girl, a tall brunette who was holding her forehead as she had just walked into a metal pole, doing so with such force that it had knocked her onto the floor.

“Are you alright?!” Velvet asked, reaching her hand out to the girl on the ground. Blake wasn’t about to lie and say she was well versed in social graces, probably being one of the most socially inept individuals you will ever meet. But the human girl took Velvet’s hand without an ounce of hesitation, a grin on her face as she flicked her glasses up into her hair, far too confident. Almost as if the whole thing had just been staged.

“Thanks for that...” the girl trailed off, staring at Velvet’s ID badge. “Velvet.”

“You’re welcome- er, what’s your name?” Velvet asked sheepishly, scratching the back of her neck.

“I’m Coco, I’m one of the tailors who work in the building,” she said, flashing a charming smile as she shook Velvet’s hand. Blake watched the blush creep up Velvet’s cheeks and knew she was screwed, this mysterious Coco had wooed her beyond belief. “I’m also a designer but that’s kind of in the works at the moment.”

“That’s cool, you must-“

“Blake!” Yang boomed, cutting Velvet off in the middle of her sentence from the sheer volume of her voice. “I knew you’d be back!”

“This is a fucking mess,” Blake grumbled, backing in amongst the clothing racks to escape whatever this odd social situation was. It wasn’t like she was ditching anyone other than Yang anyway, Velvet was preoccupied with Coco chatting with her. Honestly, Velvet fell hook, line and sinker for this girls charm.

Deciding she might have a moments respite, she began picking through the clothing rack again, making sure every article was on the rack. It was a tedious job, one that required more focus than she was willing to give at the moment. Yet she did it anyway, it was her job after all. Besides, a living wage at the end of the month would be nice.

“Talk about giving me the cold shoulder,” Yang’s voice rang out, a gentle chuckle following as she walked down the aisle to meet with Blake at the other side. “Well, this is a cozy little space. Cramped in between the clothing racks.”

“Do you not have work to do?” Blake asked, half smirking at Yang. She didn’t know where this urge to smile at the blonde had came from, the muscles in her face feeling compelled to do so. Yang grinned back at her every time though, flashing her teeth many a time when she had been around her. Blake thought that must mean something.

“I’m waiting for Pyrrha for my next shoot, so I’ve got a little _Blake_ in between,” Yang said, grinning proudly as she winked at her. Blake snorted, holding her smirk as she turned to face Yang, who’s own smile softened once she did so.

“That was terrible.”

“You say that but you’re still laughing,” Yang says, one hand effortlessly sliding into her pocket with such finesse. Blake couldn’t help but stare at the simple movement, so enticing yet strangely so. Maybe she should have suspected that Yang’s simple movements would look as great as the rest of her, but that hadn’t been anticipated.

A series of giggles came from behind the blonde, a few sniffles following after. Blake knew that sequence, something she had become familiar with after being friends with Velvet for such a long time. It was her nervous ‘I’m really into you’ laugh, followed by sniffles as she wiped her face, trying to recover from her laughter.

“I take it you met Coco?” Yang asked, a thumb thrown backwards towards where Velvet stood with Coco, clipboard in hand as her Faunus ears flopped around on her head in a shy fashion. Blake nodded, both arms folded across her chest as she chuckled at the couple behind her.

“And I take it Coco is trying to charm your friend over there?”

“It seems like it.”

“Can’t say I’m surprised, she’s a good looking gal,” Yang says, shrugging as she glances backwards, head whipping back to Blake with a confident smile. “Well, not as gorgeous as you though.”

“You better not be flirting with me in the workplace, Xiao Long,” Blake said, giggling and hiding her smile behind the back of her hand. 

“Of course I am, I don’t know how anyone could resist flirting with you,” Yang said. Stupidly, Yang tried to casually lean against the clothing rack. And the reason Blake called it stupid was because the racks were wheeled; being able to be moved around by anyone who wishes to move it. 

With that being said, as soon as Yang tried to lean against the rack, the wheels began to slide, Yang along with it. The blonde yelped, scrambling to her feet as she tried to catch herself. Blake laughed and reached forward, catching Yang’s waist and helping to steady her before she went crashing to the ground. 

“My hero,” Yang quipped, winking at Blake again. 

“I was saving the clothes, not you.” 

“Sure, whichever you prefer.” Yang hummed, tone unbelieving as she helped herself upright, dusting off her shirt with false concern. It was clearly an act, a ruse meant to make Blake laugh. It worked, and she loved that it worked. 

“Sorry! Is Yang here?” A girl with bright red hair said, glancing down the aisle to Blake and Yang, caught midway to the floor. Still stuck in their previous position. “Yang... what’re you doing?” The girl asked. 

“Hey Pyrrha... I’m just hanging out?”

“Of course, because that’s a ‘just hanging out’ position,” Pyrrha giggled, tucking her hands into the pockets of her little denim shorts. Blake didn’t know what to say, she just awkwardly held Yang. Because she honestly didn’t know what to say, brain short circuiting from their close proximity. So near that she could smell Yang’s lemon and honey cologne.

“I-I’m Blake, by the way,” she said, smiling as she helped Yang stand up, embarrassedly bringing her hands to her sides. “It’s a pleasure to meet you miss Nikos.”

“Oh, just call me Pyrrha!” Pyrrha smiled, galloping over to eagerly shake Blake’s hand. She pushed Yang’s face away, making her stumble back a few steps. “Ignore her, she’s a mess.”

Blake couldn’t help but laugh, smiling as she shook her hand back. Casting a glance over to Yang, Blake saw that she had successfully recomposed herself, now standing nonchalantly like nothing had happened in the first place. “I take it you’re both friends?” Blake asked, taking a step back to grab her clipboard, scratching off the part that said ‘Collect Pyrrha’.

“Yeah! We went to school together, I just can’t seem to get rid of her though,” Pyrrha says as she smiles cheekily towards Yang. The blonde pouted and furrowed her brow.

“I thought I was your best friend?”

“Best friends are outweighed by boyfriends.”

“And here I thought it was bros before hoes,” Yang whimpered, flashing her best puppy dog eyes at Pyrrha with a practiced familiarity. Blake took the moment to glare over at Velvet, who was still talking with Coco, twirling a piece of her around her finger like a school girl.

“Yeah, and people typically go to work before they climb into bed with someone,” Blake said loudly, clearly directed towards Velvet. The brunette jumped, startled by her voice. She sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck as she looked towards Blake, who stood with an annoyed grin, one eyebrow raised as well as having one of her ears flopped forward.

“Feisty...” Yang murmured, a dumb smile on her face as she looked at Blake. Pyrrha began to chuckle, shaking her head at the blonde. “Did I say that out loud?”

“Yes.”

“Sorry- it’s not a bad thing though! It’s super hot... _I mean_ -“ Yang continued to stutter, stumbling over her words as her face began to redden, an intense blush climbing up from her neck to her cheeks, spreading farther with each passing word. 

The comment had caused a blush to creep on Blake’s own face, the idea that she could get Yang this flustered being quite... not appealing but something along those lines. She quickly cleared her throat, ears pinning back as she wiped her face with her hand.

“So, Pyrrha,” Blake said, sighing as she chanced a look over at Yang again, both smiling at each other. It was a strange emotion, to be overcome with the urge to smile at someone for no reason at all. “Is this the outfit you’ve to wear on the shoot?”

“Yeah, me and Yang are supposed to be wearing these biker-type outfits, but _someone_ hasn’t got changed yet,” Pyrrha drawled, tone thick with sarcasm as she directed the last part towards the blonde model.

“Sorry, I was a little distracted,” Yang said. The innocent look on her face didn’t go unnoticed, in fact it added to the charm of her act right now. Another glance was thrown Blake’s way, expecting a rebuttal, for Blake to keep this game going between them.

“I think you’re more distracting than I am.”

“No, you-“

“Yang, _please_ go get changed before we get yelled at,” Pyrrha said, cutting off Yang before she could keep the game going. The blonde chuckled and shrugged, slightly waving goodbye to Blake as she walked off to the other side of the clothing racks.

“I didn’t think you seemed like the type to flirt back with Yang,” The redhead said, fixing the cuffs of her leather jacket.

Blake had to admit that Pyrrha’s outfit was definitely her type of style, the blue jean shorts only slightly loose and ripped at the bottom, going well with her pair of ankle boots. The leather jacket hung over her without being too tight or too loose, spikes on her shoulders that Blake loved.

“We’re just having some fun, plus she seems nice,” Blake replied, twisting her lips to the side as she held her clipboard over her stomach.

“This might seem like I’m trying to hype up my friend, but Yang is such a genuine person, she’s _so_ nice,” Pyrrha said, accentuating her statement with a flick of her eyes.

“She seems like it,” Blake said. She wouldn’t add on how utterly gorgeous Yang was, or how she had watched Yang’s social media story the night before and practically drooled over her abs (mostly because those would both seem like weird admissions in her mind). “I love this jacket, by the way.”

“Me too!” She said happily, twirling as she pointed to the back of her jacket. “I think the designer said it was inspired by-“

_Adam Taurus_.

The name stuck out like a sore thumb, making her stomach churn. She hated that it did, that he still had that power; that control. But she swallowed, hard, and willed away the emotions. Not even Adam was going to ruin her day, she was taking it all back from him.

“It’s really nice, I love it.”

“Coco back there actually put the jacket together herself, it’s not her design- although she is super talented,” Pyrrha said, pointing towards Coco who had since left Velvet to her own work, running around and helping the models with their outfit swaps and their makeup. “She used to love choosing Weiss’ outfits when we were teenagers.”

Blake thought that was an odd detail, because the day prior she caught on to Weiss’ implication that she and Yang were more than colleagues. But this was more, implying an entire friend group within the workplace. Which wasn’t strange, not at all, a few of her only friends worked in this building as well.

“Do you all know each other?” Blake asked, ears flopping around on her head as she questioned the other girl.

“Yeah, we grew up together,” Pyrrha began to explain as they walked towards the photo shoot set. “Weiss decided to give us a chance modelling for her fathers magazine, and it seemed to work out well for everyone.”

Blake hummed and nodded, smiling as Pyrrha walked away from her. Her heels clicking off of the floor as she made her way over to Yang, who was dressed in a simple t-shirt and ripped jeans, sitting on a motorcycle prop and waiting for Pyrrha.

A part of her wanted to say that Weiss had done was irresponsible, a gamble that eventually worked in her favour. But that would be hypocritical, because at a point Adam had done the same thing, being his girlfriends boss.

The difference was that Weiss probably didn’t treat them like Adam had treated Blake. Outside of work she probably strayed from the business side of things, making sure to be a friend first and foremost. Otherwise they wouldn’t have gotten this far, not without having to separate both their personal and professional life.

Which brought about the hesitance for Blake. Yang seemed great, seemed interested, seemed like a lot of other things she could say. But the fact was that Yang was now her coworker, and she had learned from experience not to mix business and pleasure. That’s how someone ends up your boss, even after hours.

Or maybe she should stop being so cynical.

* * *

Both journalists stood side by side, Velvet with her hands tightly gripping her clipboard and Blake with her arms folded neatly across her chest. She didn’t know when it had happened, but Coco sidled right up alongside them and began giving them a running commentary on the photo shoot. 

“I’m really happy Pyrrha’s jacket came out like that, the vinyl on the back of the jacket was so hard to fix up,” Coco grumbled, adjusting the sunglasses on her hair, a single strand of hair that had been dyed blonde falling down past her face. 

“They look great though, Pyrrha really pulls off the sexy biker chick look,” Velvet agreed, nodding at Coco who smiled back at her. 

“Yeah, they look amazing...” Blake mumbled, focused on watching the scene in front of her. 

There was a twang of jealousy deep within her upon seeing Pyrrha in Yang’s lap, so comfortable there with her arms around the blonde’s neck. The way they rested their foreheads together, noses bumping without going any farther that seemed so familiar to them. 

Blake was well aware of what this set was, had read over the file she had been handed. It was meant to be an advert for a cologne/perfume line, meant to be a unisex scent. The ad consisted of both of them on a blank set, Yang on the motorcycle with lipstick smeared over her shirt, neck and cheeks. Not done by Pyrrha, but the makeup artists. 

Both of them were meant to play the role of being unable to resist each other because of this perfume... which was clever in an advertisement sense but stupid in a real world one. Even if Blake could appreciate a good perfume. But what made it really work was that it seemed that the two of them had a real chemistry...

“ _Jealous_?” Velvet sang, bumping an ear off of Blake’s head to catch her attention. Blake shook her head, remaining steadfast in her silence.

“It’s alright,” Coco says, grinning across Velvet to Blake, “a lot of women get jealous.”

“I’m not jealous, I’m just watching.”

“She’s jealous.”

“Velv, stop showing off,” Blake chuckled, nudging the brunette with her elbow. It seemed that Velvet’s plan must’ve been to get Blake to crack a smile, as she grinned victoriously. Coco seemed delighted more by Velvet’s smile than Blake’s, for a moment she had a thought of how nice it would be for someone to look at her like that.

The shoot ended with a shout from the artistic director, everyone quickly dispersing to begin packing away the cameras, makeup and clothing. Pyrrha climbed off of Yang, stretching her arms out as they both began to laugh at an unheard joke.

Blake was about to turn away and grab her clipboard, returning to her desk, not wanting to watch anymore of this, when Yang looked her way and excused herself from Pyrrha.

Her blonde hair waved as she jogged over, smiling as she came to a halt a few inches away from Blake, hands tucking into her jeans as she grinned awkwardly. “Hey, what’d you think of it?” She asked, a thumb thrown backwards towards the set.

“It was good...” Blake said, straining the word slightly. Which she found to be ridiculous. “It was really hot, honestly.”

“Yeah?”

“ _Yeah_... you’ve both got a ton of chemistry so, _y’know_ ,” Blake said, eyes darting between Yang and the floor as she shrugged her shoulders.

“ _Oh_ ,” Yang murmured, eyes widening and grinning with a sudden realisation. “Me and Pyrrha aren’t like that. We-we did date when we were like, sixteen, but now we’re just friends. She’s got a boyfriend...”

“I’m not jealous!- _ugh_ , I just look so stupid now,” Blake mumbled, pursing her lips and screwing her eyes shut. She didn’t know Yang. At all. Yet she had turned like that over the stupidest, most minor thing. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, but just for the record, I would’ve preferred you sitting in my lap instead of her,” Yang said, voice low and sultry sweet, the volume of it seeming like it was only for Blake to hear.

“Thanks,” Blake mumbled, biting her lip to suppress the smile about to bloom on her face. “I meant to ask, how did you find my social?”

Yang’s voice cracked, nose scrunching up as she smiled, an embarrassed blush painted across her face. “I may have... you know... searched your name and hoped for the best.”

“How charming,” Blake laughed, her ears pinning upwards and giving away that she was, actually, kind of touched by it. “You couldn’t have just asked for my number?”

“You would give it to me?”

“Sure,” Blake said, shrugging. “Why not.”

Yang looked elated. The Faunus girl had genuinely never seen anyone look so pleased before in her life as she handed Blake her phone, waiting like an excited puppy for Blake to insert her phone number. She handed it back and the blonde bit her lip, smile unable to be restrained like Blake’s.

“Yang! You’ve gotta come get changed!”

She sighed, sliding her phone into her pocket. “I’ve gotta go but I’ll, _uh_ , call you later,” Yang said, waving at Blake as she walked backwards towards the clothing racks, on her way to get changed back into her normal clothes.

Velvet gasped as she walked over, smiling cheekily at Blake. “You really just did that?”

“Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t.”

* * *

** New Message Request From Yang.X.Long **

**[Yang: 20:38]**

WOW

**[Yang: 20:38]**

YOU RLLY GAVE ME VELVETS NUMBER INSTEAD?!

**[Blake: 20:38]**

wondered how long it would take you.

** [Yang: 20:39]  **

Wow.....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The way I was tempted to write another Yang character analysis because my temper rlly popped out yesterday bcoz of bs girls at my school. 
> 
> But instead my gf was like “let’s just go get food and you can finish your next chapter.” Now here we are.


	3. Chapter 3

Surprisingly, the next morning after chatting with Yang through her social media wasn’t at all jarring. In fact, it was rather nice to wake up to a notification lighting up her phone, asking if she needed a ride to work this morning.

She didn’t. But it‘s the thought that counted.

Blake’s bedroom was lit up from the sun, scattering rays of light in through the window, the small square window panes creating a grid-like pattern across the room. She was honestly far too comfy to move, but alas, her work life was calling her name.

Literally, as her phone began to buzz.

“ _Hello_?” She said, still groggy from having just woke up. There was a loud thump on the other line, followed by several background yells.

“Hey, it’s Sun, you’ve gotta get here ASAP-“

“What? Why? What’d you do?”

“Well- wait, what did _I_ do?!” Sun yelled, causing Blake to pull the phone aware from her ear, his voice being way too loud for her at this time in the morning. “Your friend, _Yang_ , is stealing all of the good photo shoots!”

“How can she steal a photo shoot you were never offered a contract for?”

“ _You know what I mean!_ ”

“Sun, this really has nothing to do with me. I’ve gotta get ready to come into work soon- bye!” Blake was quick to hang up and toss her phone onto the bed, flopping onto her back as she tried to get an extra five minutes shut-eye. The last thing anyone wanted at nine in the morning was Sun screeching in their ear.

However, it didn’t seem to matter if that was on the list of her least favourite things, as Sun continued to bombard her with phone calls. She sighed and resigned herself to the fact that she may be unable to avoid him today. 

* * *

The building was still in utter chaos, everyone and everything in complete disarray as orders were barked out from left and right. So far, Blake had managed to avoid Sun on her way to her desk. Which was a blessing in all honesty, he would probably find her at some point but for now she was safe. 

There was a sense of safety within the madness around her, a content feeling in the change of atmosphere that was very welcoming. Adam had left the walls feeling suffocating, floors always crumbling beneath her as she walked. Yet since Weiss had taken over, it seemed to be going quite well - even if it had only been a few days. 

She used to be scared to look at the wall to her right as she walked to her desk. Sometimes he used to be there, down the hallway, almost as if he was waiting for her every morning. Not to mention the darkness for the lack of lights in this side of the office, leaving dark patches splattered on the wall. 

Blake used to be afraid of that, too. Her shadows following her along the wall as they were beaten, a hand on her throat, over her mouth, on her breast- 

She shook her head and sighed, cracking open the bottle of water in her hand, her spare hand fishing around in her trouser pocket for her medication. She had been in too much of a rush to leave this morning that she barely remembered to grab her medication before bolting out of the door, oversized shirt slung over her as she left. 

Surprisingly, no one had bumped into her, which allowed her to gulp down some ice cold water along with a pair of bitter pills, letting her breathe for a few moments.A creaking sound came from her cubicle as Velvet sat back in her chair, eyes glancing up at her. 

“Morning,” she said, smiling as she pointed towards Blake’s desk, “Sun left you a note, he said it was ‘so serious that he can’t believe how serious it is’.” 

“Hmm, that’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard,” Blake sang, setting her water down on the desk before grabbing the sticky note left on her computer screen. Bright yellow with chicken scratch handwriting scrawled across it. Definitely Sun. And here she had been hoping for a quiet morning. The note read:

> ‘Blake, dude I can’t even, u need 2 get Yang 2 bk off a lil, she’s stole my underwear commercial - Sun’

“Do you know if he’s coming back?” Blake asked, half turning in her seat to look at Velvet. The brunette shook her head, half smiling at her phone as she texted. 

“No, he said, and I quote, ‘gotta jet Velv, I’ll see you lates’.” 

“Should we take him to speech therapy?”

“ _Blake_ , don’t be cruel.”

“It’s not cruel. It’d be even more cruel if everyone made fun of the way he talks after he does an interview or something,” Blake said, shrugging as she tossed the note into the trash can. She always wondered where Sun got off to, always dashing around as if he had somewhere to be, yet he was always lost. Always on an empty path filled with signs leading him away, until eventually, he was gone. 

Not that it was a bad thing, he just had a tendency to go haywire. She wouldn’t call it a fight or flight response; she was the one with a flight problem. It was more of a restlessness, a fervent need to be filled with more, to just do more. Maybe it was greed, he wanted all of the glory and none of the responsibility. 

“Are you gonna call him or should I text him and say you’re off sick?” Velvet asked, kicking her feet up onto her desk as she leaned back in her chair. Blake sighed, leaning backed in her own chair as she took a moment to consider. She didn’t want to be harsh and not call him, but she also didn’t feel like dealing with him today. 

Sun was... a lot. He was a model- and a good one at that, but the problem was that he was so _arrogant_. He would claimed it was confidence with a wink, but it was just plain cocky. Blake thought he was nice, genuinely quite sweet, it was the rest of him that she wasn’t that fond of, not after being so close to him for a while and knowing what he was like. 

“I doubt he’ll be back, let’s just let him wander for a bit,” Blake said, her ears folding back as she stretched her arms out. Velvet hummed in agreement, giggling at her phone as she continued texting. Blake had to roll her eyes, a little jealous of whoever she was texting in all honesty.

“Who are you talking to?”

“Coco.”

“She’s not working?”

“No, she’s got a super light workload today am she’s just chilling with Yang right now,” Velvet said in the most casual of ways. Blake didn’t want to point out how she knew Coco’s life after knowing her for a day, but she was happy they had hit it off immediately. Even if there was a part of her that wished she wouldn’t be so wrapped up in her phone right now.

“Oh, we’re reviewing the article for the photo shoot Yang and Pyrrha did yesterday, they want has to edit the images into the article.” Velvet pointed at Blake, glancing up from her phone for the briefest of moments before dragging her chair over next to Blake’s, her ears flailing as her chair rolled across the floor.

“I can’t seem to escape blondes, can I?”

“Hey, it’s no ones fault you have a thing for blondes.”

“No I don’t.”

“Yes you do- let’s not argue, you do,” Velvet concluded, grinning as she placed her phone onto the desk, leaning proudly against the back of her chair. Blake laughed, shaking her head as she switched on her computer, a few clicks of her keyboard and she was logging in as well.

The background noise of phone calls, keyboards clicking and people talking around the office filled the quiet, almost comforting in the most odd of ways. Editing was one of her favourite tasks, which sounded strange to say. It was all of the things she loved without having to do anything at all. She got to read, write and be artistic. It was just an overall win for her.

They sat there in comfortable silence, exchanging the occasional idea as they went through the process of piecing together the poorly written article, having to edit much more than they bargained for. There was a trend in the article, one that she noticed straight away. Whoever had written this was just completely disregarding Yang in favour of Pyrrha, almost as if she was an accessory, only there to boost the looks of the redhead.

Which was sad. Because although what Yang wore was simplistic, an everyday outfit, it took a certain amount of attractiveness to actually pull it off. She made it look like it was more than just a t-shirt and jeans, like it was an outfit worthy of a runway model. Maybe she was just being biased, but there was something about her sculpted cheekbones and sharp jawline that made her made everything on her face just pop out more. Or how her bangs were a controlled mess, perfectly accentuating her features.

“Hello? Earth to Blake,” Velvet said, waving her hand in front of Blake’s face. Her ears flicked back, blinking a few times as she came back to reality and stopped chewing on the nail of her thumb.

“Sorry, did you say something?”

Velvet smirked, her ears bobbing happily. She pointed to the screen, where Blake done nothing except from stare at the article for the last few minutes. She shook her head and cleared her throat, stretching her fingers out before she began to type, correcting the biased article to a reasonable extent.

Velvet spun back to her own computer, sorting through the photos for the article whilst Blake read through the rest of the article in front of her. She couldn’t exactly go against what the author had written. Pyrrha was a pretty girl. What with her gorgeous long hair, luscious and thick. How everything she wears just fits, having had to write many articles and filter through many photos of Pyrrha before. Plus, Velvet had been right, she did actually seem to be like a really nice person.

Which was a massive contrast to what Blake was used to. Despite being away from Adam for two years, she was still used to this cruel treatment from people. Expected it, even. She could think about it all clearly right now, her medication kicking in and keeping her mind clear. It was laughably psychotic how she was able to disconnect herself from everything that happened, like how she could now look at a clothing iron and think ‘remember when I burned my ex’s eye with one of those?’.

“Excuse me?” A voice called out, a shadow casting over her desk as the boy leaned on the wall of her cubicle. Blake turned to see a tall blonde boy, his hair shaggy on his head yet the rest of him looked immaculate. Almost as if someone else had dressed him. 

Blake and Velvet glanced between each other, Blake turning back to the boy who stood awkwardly looking at them. “Can we help you?”

“Yeah - uh - sorry, I’m one of Weiss’ hairstylists and I got a little lost,” he said, scratching the back of his head. Blake smiled, familiar with the sentiment. She remembered when she had first came into the building, overwhelmed by the amount of floors, offices and people. No clue where to go or who to speak to.

“Where do you need to go? I can show you around,” Blake said, grabbing her lanyard from the table, her keys and ID card dangling from her neck. He grinned, practically bouncing on his feet.

“Yeah, that’d be great, thanks!” He said, nervously wringing out his hands.

“I’ll finish the article off whilst you’re gone,” Velvet said, moving to sit on Blake’s seat when she stood up. The blonde boy lingered around for a moment, trying to catch a glimpse of their project. He smiled widely, looking more excited than he had a moment earlier. 

“Oh, that’s my girlfriend!” He said, laughing as he pointed towards the screen. Blake smiled, furrowing her brow as she looked back and forth between the boy and her computer screen. She threw a thumb towards her computer, smiling. 

“ _Pyrrha_?”

“Yeah! We’ve been dating for a little over a year,” he said, sheepishly scratching the back of his neck. His eyes widened, jaw dropping for a moment before he outstretched his hand. “I forgot to mention, my name’s Jaune.”

She hummed and shook his hand, nodding at him. “Well Jaune, I’m Blake,” she says, pointing down the hallway towards the elevator, “should we get going?”

Jaune nodded, taking a few steps back to allow Blake to walk in front of him, following closely behind her. She noticed him glancing around at everyone, scanning everyone’s face, an anxious feeling about him. Blake couldn’t do anything but recognise a part of herself, the awkward and anxious nerd who broke into journalism, just happy that she had been chosen.

“Where are you going?” Blake asked, slowing down as they neared the elevator, unsure if he was supposed to be on this floor or another. 

“Uh, fourth floor. It’s for a music video that’s being shot,” he said, adjusting the see-thru glasses on his face. Blake nodded and gestures for him to follow her into the elevator, which dinged as it opened and creaked as it closed. 

“What do you work as?” Blake asked, eyebrows and ears flicking curiously as she glanced at him. He didn’t look like much, your average college student maybe. But maybe she was wrong and he had some sort of talent that she hadn’t taken notice of just yet. 

“I’m a hair stylist and makeup artist,” he said, drawing a shocked gasp from her. 

“ _Really_?”

“Yeah. I grew up with seven sisters, so I joined on them braiding each other’s hair and doing each other’s makeup. Turns out, I was pretty good at it, so, _here I am_ ,” Jaune said happily, outstretching his arms as he looked up the ceiling, smile faltering once he met the light above him. 

“Can’t relate, I’m an only child,” she said, arms reaching behind her to grab onto the handlebar. Jaune smirked and shrugged, a pained expression that told her that maybe she didn’t want sibling to begin with. “How’d you end up meeting Pyrrha? If you don’t mind me asking,” Blake said, her ears tilted curiously.

“Nora - _er_ \- one of our friends set us up. She was friends with me and Pyrrha and decided that we’d be a good match,” Jaune said, wistfully looking back on fond memories as it seemed. “She was actually how I even got this job. Weiss thought I had talent and decided said she’d take me on. She hasn’t killed me so far, so I’d say I’m doing a good job.”

Blake blinked a few times, a loading bar flashing in her mind as she processed this information. It seemed to be a trend that Weiss hired all of her friends, friends of friends, and so on. Which was great, it really showed her character but Blake was questioning the business decisions behind it. So far, it had worked out in her favour. 

They stepped out of the elevator and onto the fourth floor, the floor being much quieter than she had anticipated. Jaune slowed down behind her, typing on his phone as he walked. Blake stopped to let him catch up, only for him to realise that she had stopped, his eyes flitting back and forth between her and his phone.

“Sorry, it’s just one of my friends texting me about her being nervous about asking for this girls number,” He laughed, awkwardly scratching the back of his head as he shrugged and shoved the phone back into his pocket. “Who would think that _Yang Xiao Long_ could get nervous.”

Blake paused for a moment, quickly walking ahead of him in order to hide the smile growing on her face. She didn’t want to assume, but she was assuming that it was her that Yang was talking about. Which made her a little giddy, that she could get someone flustered over asking for her number. It was flattering...

It was also taking everything she had to not just message Yang on her social media and send Yang her number. 

“So, you know Yang, too?”

“Yeah! She’s cool, but we always have to disguise her when we go out places because girls try to hit on her,” Jaune said, nervously flicking his hand around in the air as he spoke. “She hates when people want to sleep with her just because she’s a model.”

Blake hummed, decidedly keeping her mouth shut on this one. She couldn’t blame those people who wanted to sleep with Yang. 

“Jaune!” A girl with ginger hair yelled from down the hallway, waving her hands in the air. “Did you get lost?!”

“Yes, Nora, yes I did,” he sighed, taking a few strides forward into the wide open room. He began to get wrapped up in whatever this girl was saying, being pulled in all directions by her. Blake chuckled at how easy it was for him to get pulled into all sorts of things. She couldn’t deny that he seemed sweet, Yang had good choice in friends.

The room was dimly lit, with all of the lights being stuck on a fake set of a bedroom. She recognised immediately Sun, who was lying on the bed, hands behind his head. Off to the side stood Nolan Porfirio, a musician that she actually knew outside of work. She had met him one night at a party, as well as his boyfriend Scarlet who was, unfortunately, also friends with Sun. It made her realise what a small world it really was. 

Blake took it upon herself to stroll over to Nolan, who waved at her as she walked over. She folded her arms across her chest as she watched the scene in front of her unfold, Sun being told off by the director for not wearing a shirt. 

“New music video?” She asked, side glancing Nolan.

“Yeah, although I’m starting to regret allowing Sun to star in it,” he chuckled, wincing at Sun who had now bounced up and off of the bed, storming off in a bad mood. “How’ve you been? Still single?”

“Fine, and, yes.”

Nolan hummed, smirking at her as he fixed the collar on his denim jacket, slightly crinkled for some reason. “Scarlet said you were flirting with Yang Xiao Long,” he said, whistling as he finished.

Blake rolled her eyes and shook her head. Of course Scarlet would know. He’s been working in the building for less than a few days and he’s already filled in on all of the latest gossip. “I wasn’t flirting, we were just talking. Also, _since when_ is everyone so interested in my dating life.”

“We’re interested because you _don’t_ have one and now you might be flirting with a super model,” he laughed. He opened his mouth to say something else, only to be cut off by a yell of his name in the background. His head whipped around, hair flailing as he glanced back at them. Nolan sighed.

“I’ve gotta go take care of this, but we should catch up soon,” he says as he backs away, waving at her. Blake hummed, nodding in agreement as she waved too, backing away from the set in front of her. 

It was times like this when she believed that her life was really turning around, that she was finally moving on and that things were changing for the better. Blake couldn’t help but be sceptical, unsure of what to believe, thinking that things were too good to be true. But maybe, just maybe, she was finally getting somewhere. 

“ _Blake_!”

And then the Sun would appear, blinding her and sending her stumbling backwards, quite literally. 

“How cool is this set?!” Sun exclaimed, arms outstretched as he gestured to the rook around him, tail swishing back and forth. Blake sighed and caught her breath, ears still pinned back from the shock of the moment.

“It’s amazing, Nolan’s really killing it- _wait_ ,” she paused, almost getting whiplash from how fast Sun’s mood had shifted. “I thought you were mad about Yang stealing your shoot?”

“I was,” he said, shrugging, “but I bet she isn’t gonna be in a dope ass music video, huh.” Despite Sun sounding so cocky about it, Blake assumed he hadn’t seen any of the many music videos that Yang had featured in, so she chose not to correct him.

The cat Faunus shook her head, rolling her eyes as she walked past Sun. She said, “I’ve gotta get back to work, but good luck with the video, Sun.”

“Thanks!”

With a soft sigh of relief and with the added feeling of a lot more confidence in herself, she began to stroll towards the door. She found it hilarious now the gossip of she and Yang flirting had spread around so quickly, probably just roaming amongst the hairdressers and makeup artists. They had always been gossip merchants.

“Oh, Blake!” Jaune called out, quickly walking over to her. “Thank you so much for helping me find this place.”

“It’s no problem,” she said, now slightly conscious of what time it was as she did actually have things to do. The red headed girl from earlier appeared beside him, reaching her hand out to shake Blake’s own. Slightly confused, Blake shook her hand.

“Hi, I’m Nora,” she said, smiling widely.

“It’s nice to meet you, I’m Blake.”

“Belladonna?”

“Yes?”

“Sorry, it’s just that- I’ve seen some of your articles is all,” Nora said, sheepishly scratching behind her neck as she returned her hand to her side. Blake hummed, happy with the response, before beginning to back out of the room. The slightly mortified look on Jaune’s face didn’t go unnoticed, which made her giggle internally. She decided to put the final nail on the coffin for him.

“Well, it was nice meeting you Jaune. I hold your friend works up the courage to get that girl’s number,” she said. Blake caught onto Nora glaring at Jaune and shaking her head as she turned away.

Blake was just happy that her assumption from earlier hadn’t been wrong. 

* * *

Sitting at her desk, Blake stretched her arms out. She had been playing catch-up for a few hours after missing out on some time as she had to show Jaune his way around. 

Velvet and her had been working through their workloads in silence, with Velvet texting Coco every three seconds and Blake idly scrolling through social media because she really had no life at this point. Which was upsetting to say the least.

Her ear flicked when she heard a door open down the hallway, a familiar voice speaking with its suave tones before they bellowed. It was obviously Yang, too loud and too charismatic to be anyone else. Plus, it wasn’t like she had been thinking about her voice all day, like she wanted to hear it again and again.

“You’ve got a visitor,” Velvet sang, her ears bobbing around on top of her head. Blake hummed and pretended to busy herself, opening multiple tabs at once and spreading around rubbish across her desk. She heard Velvet snicker but chose to ignore her right now. 

Blake knew she was screwed when Yang leaned on the cubicle wall, grinning down at her. 

“Hey,” she said, smiling widely, her cheeks already dusted pink. 

“Hey,” Blake said, leaning back in her chair to look up at the blonde. 

“So, uh... _hey_ ,” Yang said awkwardly, drawing a laugh from Blake which in turn made her cheeks stain red, turning into a new breed of fruit. Blake had to admit, seeing her flustered was very cute in a way that she was not ashamed to admit at all. 

“Did you want something, Yang?” 

“I want a lot of things, but I think your number would be a good place to start,” she whispered, low and sultry, such a way that was famous for her. 

“That was really smooth, I’ll give her that,” Velvet said, pointing at Yang as she looked towards Blake. 

“You want my number?” Blake asked, eyebrow quirked upwards as she folded her arms across her chest. Yang pursed her lips, nodding at her as she nervously wrung her hands out. Blake knew she could be cruel, could keep this going and not give in to her. But her puppy dog eyes persuaded her. 

“Alright,” Blake says, “let’s see your phone.” 

“Wait, seriously?”

“Yeah, let me see your phone,” Blake said, gesturing for Yang to hand her the phone. She did so with enthusiasm, bouncing on the spot as she lapped up every passing moment she was getting love from the other girl. It was cute, undoubtedly cute. 

“It’s my real number, so just, y’know, call me whenever,” Blake said, shrugging as she smirked up at the blonde, who towered over her cubicle. 

“I’ll call you tonight then.”

* * *

As promised, Yang called her. 

And it was... _amazing_. Blake didn’t know she could enjoy being on the phone to someone so much before. There was no pressure, no expectations, just the two of them talking. 

Yang spoke of her apartment, how it was large and empty and lonely. She tried to fill it with furniture yet it still remained hollow, a shell of something that never was. It was morbid, in a way, and relatable for Blake. 

Her apartment was haunted by a ghost, who came in the nights and banged on all of the doors. Sometimes he liked to scream in her ears, occasionally he slammed his fist off of the walls so hard that Blake had thought that the next time he did so the wood would splinter and crack.

Blake yawned as she lay in bed, thinking of the girl on the phone to her. She was tired, yet she wanted to stay up and talk to her. Which was childish, but she wanted to stay awake, intrigued by Yang’s lifestyle.

“You’re tired?” Yang asked, her voice croaking over the phone line. 

“Yeah, but it’s fun to talk to you,” Blake said, giggling as she traced invisible circles on the bedsheets below her, the room lit up by only the street lamps outside and the flow of her phone.

“It’s fine if you want to go to bed, I’m still gonna be here tomorrow.”

“Yeah?”

“ _Yeah_ ,” Yang chuckled, slightly breathless. “I wouldn’t want you being tired tomorrow.”

“Alright... _alright_ ,” Blake said, stretching her arms out. “I’ll go to bed.”

“Cool, I better got ready for bed too, got a little sidetracked with my sister,” Yang said, chuckling. “Gonna throw on a nice t-shirt and shorts.”

Honestly, it was a strange thing, having someone to talk to after spending half of the day making friends who aren’t even aware that Blake and Yang were friends. She couldn’t deny that she loved everything about the situation, the way Yang sounded so soft on the phone, how cute she was asking questions, how she had a genuine concern when Blake stubbed her for earlier. It was amazing. 

It made her think that she might deserve something like this. 

Her phone buzzed again as she was laying down to sleep. 

**[Yang: 23:34]**

nite gorgeous, sweet dreams

Blake hesitated for a minute, unsure of how to respond. 

**[Blake: 23:37]**

night beautiful.

Blake decided that this was the best way to round off her day. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank y’all for reading, I hope you guys enjoyed. I have nothing to say for once, apart from I’m editing at midnight so if I’ve made any typos or mistakes, plz excuse me. 
> 
> Also excuse the last part with Yang being so short, it’s only that length because I’m trying to establish Blake outside of Yang a little.


	4. Chapter 4

“‘ _Night beautiful_ ’.”

“Velvet, _please_.”

“Not your smoothest _or_ most subtle line. That’s a record for you.”

“I’m not even listening to you anymore,” Blake grumbled, storming ahead of Velvet and out of the elevator, boxes full of makeup palettes, brushes and all sorts of the like, rustling around in the box she was holding as she walked. After their lunch break, they had been roped into carrying supplies to the set of a commercial happening upstairs.

_Unfortunately_ , helping out entailed them carrying extremely heavy boxes for long periods of time so that they could by told to either stay and help further or to essentially fuck off back to their desks. The latter happened more often than they liked, even if it did mean they wouldn’t have to be yelled at by a power hungry artist for the next hour or three.

“You’re seriously gonna go in a bad mood, Belladonna?”

“Yes, I regret even telling you about me and Yang talking, it was kind of personal, you know,” Blake grumbled again, eyes narrowing and ears flicking back in annoyance. Velvet wasn’t deterred by her soured mood, if anything she was spurred on by it, happily skipping alongside her.

“Typical that you’d have a thing for miss ‘my apartment is so empty, it’s like a tomb’. Do you think she knows poetry is a turn on for you?”

“Velv, _I swear to the gods_ -“

“Blake!” Yang’s voice rang out, a happy lilt to her voice.

Blake paused, glaring at Velvet who only smirked back at her. How coincidental that she would avoid Yang all day, and then just so happen to run into her when her friend was teasing her. It was like the universe hated her and wanted to play some cruel trick on her. Velvet flicked an eyebrow and spun on her heel, quickly walking ahead to meet Yang at the door they were just about to enter.

“Hey, Yang,” Velvet said, smiling evilly. “Blake was just telling me about you chatting her ear off last night.”

“Uh, yeah, we had fun?” Yang said, her tone slightly questioning as she looked towards Blake for some sort of affirmation. Possibly even silently asking what Velvet was getting at here. Blake herself didn’t even know. All she knew was that she was going to drag her by the ears if she kept up this charade.

“Yes, she said your conversation was _riveting_ ,” Velvet said, voice softening to a husk with the last word. Yang blushed, awkwardly scratching at her neck. Knowing she had succeeded in whatever she had set out to achieve, Velvet hummed and stepped into the room behind Yang, wiggling her fingers as she bid them farewell.

“W-what did you tell her?” Yang asked, face still flushed as Blake approached.

“That I learned something about you that I would never have expected, nothing that she was implying though,” Blake said, flashing a lopsided grin at the taller girl. Yang nodded, sucking on her front teeth before falling against the doorframe, arms crossed.

She looked smug, like she had just proven a point. But the only thing she had proven was that she was in desperate need of someone who was willing to love her. It had been strange conversation, a heartfelt moment between two people that felt like so much more. Maybe it was, maybe Blake wanted to know.

Yang had dropped a few details that she found to be odd. The comparison of her apartment to a tomb, the furniture not feeling like it filled out the space and how everything didn’t feel like her home. She was lonely, Blake recognised, because she was lonely too. But she wasn’t sure if she wanted to be the two lonely souls trope just yet.

The more she thought about it there was something about Yang, when she looked at her, that screamed _rage_. A kindled fire behind her eyes, amongst the calming pools of lavender, something that lay there rotting away, the stench of burnt flesh not quite passing through just yet. It was clear that something had died within her long ago, and now she could only try to fill that void by tossing everything she earned into that bonfire, keeping it lit.

Or maybe Blake was reading too much into it and Yang was just unbelievably tired.

“And here I thought you were discussing the steam artwork I was sending you,” Yang said, smirking. Blake chuckled, recalling the image Yang had sent her of her pinky finger sticking out of the slit of her shorts. “So, what’re you down here for?” Yang asked

“Makeup run, someone wants you looking good,” Blake said, holding up the box in her hands to emphasise her point. Yang made a small ‘o’ shape with her mouth, eyebrows raising for a brief moment before she reached forward to take the box from Blake’s hands. “Let me take this for you then.”

“It’s fine, it’s my job to bring this down here.”

“Can’t I just help a pretty girl out?” Yang said, winking as she took the box from Blake’s hands without much protest from the other girl. “Besides, I’m pretty sure you were starting to think my biceps were just for show.”

“Glad you’re finally putting them to use,” Blake said, smirking as she followed behind Yang, arms folded across her chest as she did so. Her phone was buzzing in her hand, a few texts shot rapid fire, but she didn’t want to look right now. It could wait.

“Y’know, I can use them for a lot of other things.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, I-“

“Yang, you _finally_ getting a life is great and all but I _really_ need to have your makeup done, like, _now_ ,” Nora said, appearing behind them as she grabbed the back of Yang’s hoodie, dragging her backwards into a leather stool. The blonde let out a grunt as she hit the chair, chuckling when Nora gave her an intense smile in the mirror.

“The rough treatment really isn’t necessary,” Yang said, smiling as she leaned back and let Nora do her job, a hair band restricting Yang’s bangs and a small towel covering her hoodie before she actually got to work. Blake hummed, tilting her head to the side, one of her ears flopping over as well.

“I mean, you were slacking.”

“Well, _you_ were distracting.”

“ _You_ were distracting _me_ from sleeping last night,” Blake said, smirking. She realised moments later what she had said when Yang grinned widely, chuckling as she looked over at her. Nora stood behind her, also laughing and shaking her head. “I didn’t mean it like that!”

“Why did you think we would take it any other way?” Yang laughed, head tilted back as she did so. Blake felt her face heat up, cheeks bright red as she buried her face in her hands. Coco and Velvet had been in the background laughing along as well, Velvet more so than Coco.

“I don’t know, it just came out- _shut up!_ ” Blake laughed, rubbing her face, remaining steadfast in her staring at the wall. She was too embarrassed to look at anyone right now, had no idea how or why she had done this to herself. Velvet grinned, taking strides towards her, both arms wrapping around her neck in a side hug.

“Aw, you’re finally getting a life, too!” Velvet cooed with the most patronising tone she could muster, swayed back and forth with Blake unable to escape. “I’m so proud of you!”

“Why are you acting like I’m twelve,” Blake laughed, pushing Velvet off of her. The brunette shrugged pushing her back. “Because you don’t talk to anyone, ever.”

“That’s _such_ bullshit.”

Velvet glanced towards Yang, Nora and Coco, who were half paying attention to fixing Yang’s makeup and half paying attention to Blake.

“She hates everyone,” Velvet said, throwing a thumb towards Blake.

“Not _everyone_ , just you,” Blake said, smirking as the brunette turned to her with an annoyed stare. It was false, obviously, their playful act was all in good fun. Yang chuckled, a soft smile on her face as she glanced at them in the mirror.

“What’s your commercial for?” Blake asked, walking around to lean on the counter behind Yang’s stool, looking at her in the mirror.

“It’s for the fall update of Weiss’ lookbook,” Nora answered, flashing a sheepish grin in the mirror. “Sorry, I’m just trying to finish her makeup so I’m answering for her.”

Blake hummed and nodded, understanding that she must just want Yang to be out of that seat in five minutes time, seeing as Blake had held them back for a few minutes.

“Oh, Jaune said I was to thank you again for showing him around yesterday,” Nora said, eyes fixed on Yang’s eyelid as she dragged a brush across it. “Honestly, I don’t know how that boy gets so lost.”

“Is he really that bad?”

“No, Blake, he’s _worse_!” Nora laughed, Coco’s eyes widening as she nodded in agreement with her. She had to chuckle as well, able to believe that Jaune wouldn’t be able to find his own ass with two hands in the dark. He seemed really nice, just not incredibly well put together without the help of someone.

“Hey, Xiao Long,” Coco hummed, nudging Yang’s arm with the butt of a makeup brush. “What do you want to do for your birthday?”

Blake blinked a few times, a small pit forming in her stomach. Why did she feel so bad about not knowing it was her birthday?

“It’s your birthday?” Blake asked, ears flitting back as she glanced at Yang in the mirror. The blonde half smirked, lilac eyes softening as she glanced back at her in the mirror. She shook her head. “My birthday’s at the end of the month, Coco’s just trying to get me to go out drinking with her-“

“Why would you assume that?”

“Because you’re constantly asking me if you want me to go out for a drink with you,” Yang laughed, sliding out of the stool and muttering a small thank you to Nora, who was beginning to pack up her makeup supplies. Coco pouted and playfully pushed her shoulder, crossing the room to pass a denim jacket over to Yang.

“I’ve gotta get in and start this shoot, but, talk to you later?” Yang said, a hopeful lilt to her voice as she glanced over to Blake whilst shrugging on her jacket. Blake hummed, nodded and stood up straight, mindlessly fixing the collar on Yang’s jacket. She patted off some stray hairs that had fallen onto Yang’s hoodie, Blake’s hands patting at her collar.

They both blushed when they realised their close proximity, Blake instinctively pulling her hands back and jumping backwards.

“Yang, you’ve got to get in there!” Nora yelled, gesturing wildly towards the door.

“Yes, right!” Yang said before clearing her throat. She glanced back at Blake, lightly bouncing on her feet as she began to back away towards the door. “So, I’ll text you?”

“Yeah... uh, _yes_! Yeah, I’ll talk to you later,” Blake said, mentally smacking herself as she began to walk away too. Velvet hopped over beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“Blake, I love you, but you’re a mess-“

“Shut up, Velv.”

* * *

The office was oddly quiet today, which was a blessing for Blake, as she wasn’t a fan of the rabble going on around her. Deciding that she was content to buckle down and finish her workload for the day, she had stuck in her earphones, and got down to business.

She waved a hand through her hair, pulling it back into a ponytail. It was much shorter than her hair had been years ago, having had it chopped to her shoulders after she left Adam. But since then, she had just let it grow again until it’s length was just under her shoulder blades. 

For a moment, she shook out her bangs, fixing the way her hair sat around her Faunus ears. There was something about her that wanted to look nice today, like she finally had a reason to other than she works for a fashion magazine and her boss would get mad if she didn’t look the part. 

A golden tail swished around outside of her cubicle, a light whistle as they leaned over the wall. Blake grimaces, knowing it’s Sun, who she is coincidentally editing an article about. 

“Hey,” he says, the charm already oozing from every pore. “How’s work treatin’ ya?”

“Oh you know, I just love editing articles about your abs all day,” she said, rolling her eyes. Distantly she heard Velvet giggling, although she didn’t bother to turn from her computer. Sun grinned and stood up straight, his smile showing too much.

“So, I was thinking,” Sun said, his voice high and hopeful. Blake rolled her eyes, already prepared to reject him. “Friday, me, you, dinner for two?”

“Uh, no.”

He groaned loudly, throwing his head back. “Why?! I mean, when was the last time you went on a real date?” He asked. Blake opened her mouth to speak, but he held a hand up in the air. “And no, scoring at a bar doesn’t count.”

“Well, for one: fuck you,” Blake snarled, genuinely annoyed by his comment. “And two; I already have plans for Friday.”

“Oh really?” Sun said flatly, clearly disbelieving.

“ _Really_.”

“With who?”

“Velvet.”

“I’ve got a date though?” Velvet said, blinking a few times before realising that she had just messed up being her backup. She screwed her eyes shut, sighing irritably. “ _I’m sorry_ ,” she mouthed silently to Blake.

Sun’s grin widened, tail flying around excitedly. Blake seriously did not want to go out anywhere with Sun, a party was one thing, both of them alone was another. He seemed to think they had this sexual chemistry that was completely made up in his mind. Either that or he was just having poor luck with other girls and she was the next best thing. She couldn’t decide which was worse.

“Hey guys!” Yang’s voice boomed from somewhere behind her. Blake spun in her chair to see Yang sauntering over, Coco following behind her. There was a certain satisfaction when she saw Sun’s smile falter slightly, Yang’s very presence seeming to damage his ego. Blake smiled and half waved at her.

“So,” Sun started again, this time much cockier. “Friday at six?” He smiled hopefully.

Yang’s eyes darted back and forth between Sun and Blake, trying to catch on to what was happening here. Blake was relieved when her eyebrows raised, finally catching on.

“Uh, Blake we’re still on for... that movie on Friday, right?” Yang asked, wincing slightly as she flashed an apologetic look to Blake.

“Yes, we are,” Blake said, tilting her head towards Sun, a cocky smirk on her face now. “I was trying to tell him that I had plans, but he didn’t believe me.”

Sun paused for a moment, his tail bolting upright as he looked between Blake and Yang.

“Oh...” he said, before his eyes widened and he grinned. “ _Oh_! Why didn’t you just say you guys were going on a date!”

Blake’s face cracked, blushing and sheepishly smiling. Yang did the same, except her face was more of a blank expression, like she was a malfunctioning computer. Which was cute in a way, almost like a miffed puppy.

“It’s not a date, we’re just, hanging out,” Blake said, shrugging.

“Okay,” Sun sang, backing away with his hands in the air. “Your guys’ secret is safe with me, I’m totally on board with this.”

Yang chuckled and awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck as she walked over to Blake’s desk, resting on top of it as they both watched Sun walk out of the room. Blake sighed and spun around in her chair to face Yang, leaning back as she looked at her.

“If you guys are gonna kiss, we can leave,” Coco said, smirking as she and Velvet glanced over at the two of them. Yang rolled her eyes, flipping off Coco as she crossed her legs. Blake chuckled, leaning on her hand, which just so happened to be her way of getting closer to Yang without it seeming obvious.

“Where are you guys going on Friday?” Yang asked, nodding towards them. Blake hummed and furrowed her brow, tilting her hand towards Velvet in a lazy point.

“Yeah, this is the first time I’m hearing about you two going on a date,” Blake said, glancing over at Yang who nodded along with her, as if to say she thought the same thing.

“We’re just going out for dinner and some drinks, nothing major,” Velvet said, shrugging. Coco hummed in agreement, her arm idly slipping over Velvet’s shoulders, her thumb drawing circles on her shoulder. Yang cringed, her head recoiling back.

“A drunk Adel isn’t what you want on your first date.”

“Fuck you, when you’re drunk you bang into objects and apologise to them.”

“Well, _exactly_ , that’s why I wouldn’t want to be drunk on my first date with someone,” she laughed, glancing down at Blake who laughed along with her, shrugging her shoulders. The two girls had started this back and forth between each other, exchanging playful insults and anecdotes.

There was something about Yang, that was completely different from anyone who she had been interested in before. Sun was right earlier when he asked when she had last been on a _real_ _date_. Because, truthfully, she hadn’t really dated anyone since Adam. Too scared that she’ll be hurt like that again, too scared that he’ll find out by the time this restraining order is expired.

It had always been one night stands with her, they were few and far between but they were the only intimacy she ever had in her life now. Apart from Velvet and the occasional phone call from her parents, Blake really had no one. Which scared her, because sometimes, just sometimes, she felt so unbearably alone.

She supposed that she was, that this was what she had chosen. It was either this life or being beaten by her boyfriend, so she was sure she had saved herself three years of bruised skin this way. It did feel like everyday she was scrutinising everyone, mentally had every person who offered to buy her a drink in a bar put on trial so that she knew what she was getting into.

There was the awareness in the back of her mind that her restraining order would be over soon and she would have to see Adam again for the briefest moments. It made her stomach churn, bile build in her throat. The court wouldn’t grant her a protective order, purely because of who Adam was and because she was a Faunus. She assumed that was the case anyway, that was somehow better than the reason being because Adam was a rich man.

She would never be safe from Adam, that was just something that Blake had learned to live with. It terrified her. He was that monster in the closet that was all too real, still remaining there even in daylight. Adam was the worst kind of horror; he was another person. Someone that seemed to always be one step ahead of her no matter what she did.

If Blake were to leave and go home, he’d be at her apartment. If she covered up her bruises, he’d just make more. If she felt good at work, he would ask her up to her office only to scrutinise her outfit and hand her another dress. If Blake asked the court for a fucking restraining order, suddenly she fully realised that he praised as being a multimillionaire, philanthropist.

It was a living nightmare. She just couldn’t seem to wake up. But as she glanced up at Yang, who didn’t cross boundaries and harmlessly flirted with her, quietly making sure she wasn’t making Blake uncomfortable, she wondered if she could wake her up from this.

Realising that Blake had been looking at her, Yang looked down at her, smiling softly. Warm and inviting. The sun seemed dim compared to her, but Blake let herself stare freely, somehow unafraid of being burned, despite barely knowing her.

Yang glanced over to Coco and Velvet, who were now wrapped up in their own conversation. She turned her head to look back down at Blake, leaning down slightly. “Can I actually take you out somewhere on Friday or...?”

Blake shrugged, smiling at the question instead of the assumption instead that she would just go with her anywhere. “I’ll think about it.”

* * *

Blake decided to take a few moments to herself, having her own car with her for once meant that she could go at her own pace. She had slipped into the break room, packing her lunch tupperware into her handbag as she got prepared to go home. Her phone began to ring at the bottom of her bag, which she groaned at because it was just typical wasn’t it?

Fishing it out of her bag, she saw the contact name flash across her screen, slowing down time for a moment. 

Detective Ebi. The officer who had worked her case of domestic violence. Of course he had to be the best of the best, not just anyone could handle Adam Taurus’ fragile ego with such care.

“Hello detective,” she said as she answered the phone, “how can I help you?”

She knew what he was calling for, she was just avoiding that reality.

“Hi, miss Belladonna, I’m calling regarding the expiry date of your restraining order,” He said, his voice formal and flat over the phone, yet still very kind. Blake sighed, screwing her eyes shut to avoid the tears that were beginning to pool at the corners of her eyes. “Your restraining order expires next month, are you happy just to let that happen or would you like to request another extension?”

“Can I not request a hearing for a protective order against Adam?”

“We’ve been over this with the judge and your lawyer, it’s simply not an option.” 

Blake kept her eyes closed, ears pinning back against her head as she pursed her lips. Hearing those words spoken to her for a third time was too much, she felt like screaming, like her vocal cords were shredding from the sheet thought of it.

“Alright, then I’d just like to request another hearing for an extension,” Blake said, clearing her throat halfway through her sentence, voice disturbed from her upset. 

“Great, I’ll have that sent forward to the judge. Your lawyer will be in contact with further details,” The detective said, for murmuring a small goodbye and hanging up the phone. She was at a loss for what to say, was just stood with the phone hanging by her ear in shock. 

Sometime in the next month, she was going to have to stand in front of an audience of people, her family included, and state all of the things he did to her for a third time. All the while Adam would spout lies of what she did to him, and they would believe him. It was humiliating, to the point where she was unsure if she even wanted to go through it again. 

She couldn’t keep doing this over and over for the rest of her life....

There was a soft knock at the door, her ears standing to attention as she quickly wiped her eyes, half turning towards the doorway. Yang cracked open the door, a worried look on her face as she did so. 

“Is everything alright?” Yang asked, voice low and sweet as she closed the door behind her, her way of showing that it was only the two of them in here. Blake nodded, dropping her phone back into her bag. 

“Yeah, I’m fine, don’t worry,” Blake said, waving her off before taking a few steps towards her. 

“Do you need a ride home or anything?”

“No, I’ve got my car with me. Thank you though, Yang.” She let out a soft sigh, smiling gratefully at Yang who opened up the door for her. “I was just leaving, so I’ll walk you out.”

Yang hummed, her hand instinctively reaching to hold the small of Blake’s back, such a small protective gesture that made her smile. It made her feel safe, and Blake was okay with that. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading everybody, super enjoying writing this fic. I’m trying to be good and upload every week but if i go insane and post another chapter during the week... you’ll just know I’ve went mental.
> 
> Also fun fact, I have a soft spot for Nolan even though he’s such a minor character. 
> 
> Until next time, see ya!


	5. Chapter 5

The sun was high in the sky, belting heat down on Vale from above whilst it shone above all else. A sliver of that light slid in past Blake’s bedroom curtains, landing on her bedding and hitting the wall on the opposing side of the room. It was nice, a pop of colour amongst the grey scale apartment, an aesthetic in its own right.

Yet, Blake couldn’t find the strength to peel back the quilt and get to work. Which was fine, for now. She could clock in a few hours late today as she had finished some of her work last night when she couldn’t fall asleep, but today was a different problem. Blake just couldn’t get up.

Blake shuffled to the edge of her bed, a hand reaching out of the covers to grab her phone. She quickly searched for Yang’s name in her contacts, clicking the call button before she processed that she had no clue why she was calling Yang and not Velvet.

“Hey, what’s up?” Yang asked, the dull sound of her driving in the background.

“Can you convince me to come in to work today,” Blake laughed, her hair mussed up around the pillow as she got comfy. 

“Because I’m there and you want to see me?”

“I’m _really_ just not feeling up to coming in today though, like as much as I love seeing you at work,” Blake said, chuckling dryly as she rolled onto her back, her phone being turned onto loud speaker so that she could just indulge herself for a few moments.

“Well, apart from the fact that you love seeing me at work, which _I will_ remember,” Yang said, a teasing lilt to her voice. “Do you want me to swing by your place? I can get you breakfast and stuff.”

That warmed her heart a little, that Yang would go out of her way to do that for her despite Blake knowing that she had a photo shoot scheduled in an hour for the continuation of Weiss’ lookbook. A part of her wanted to be selfish and invite Yang over, a fantasy of sulking whilst wrapped in her arms coming to mind. But she wasn’t about to do that, because Weiss would definitely kill both of them.

“It’s alright, I’m just trying to hype myself up for work,” Blake says as she sits upright, a start in the long process that was waking up this morning. Yang hummed, the whizzing of a car going back on her end of the call.

“If you think about it, it’s gonna be a short day for you. You said last night you’ve only got another article to read over and my photo shoot to help at after lunch.”

“Yeah... I guess so.”

“ _See_?! Go hop in a shower, take your time getting dressed, come into work and I’ll see you after lunch, yeah?” Yang said hopefully, her voice high and happy. Blake couldn’t find it in her heart to refute that point, because that did sound like her ideal morning before coming into work.

“Yeah, I’ll see you then,” Blake said, grunting as she sat upright on the edge of the bed.

“Alright, just take it easy and I’ll see you soon, gorgeous!”

Blake’s heart fluttered as the phone hung up, butterflies breaking free inside of her. She didn’t fully admit it out loud, but it was always nice to go into work and see Yang. She was that extra comfort outside of Velvet. To be fair, she hadn’t seen much of Velvet since she had started seeing Coco, but she supposed that was just what happened.

She winced when she stood up, the cold air hitting her immediately despite it being the middle of summer. Her phone buzzed again, twice over

**[Yang: 09:34]**

DO U KNOW THRS NO VENDING MCHKNES IN THE BUILDING ANYMORE?????

**[Blake: 09:34]**

yeah, weiss had them all removed because there’s like four stores outside of the office.

** [Yang: 09:34]  **

BUT I WNTD CANSY & I DNT HAV TIME 2 GO 2 THE STORE 

**[Blake: 09:35]**

i’ll get some for you when i’m on my way in. 

** [Yang: 09:35]  **

No dis is a matter of principal

** [Yang: 09:35]  **

Im gonna complain 2 weiss

* * *

On the cab drive into work, Blake had this weird phenomenon, where she thought she was being followed. She had no clue why she felt this way, she was driving on a bustling road, there was no way that she could be followed because the cars weren’t even moving. 

Even glancing back and looking through the windows to other cars, she couldn’t see anyone she knew, not even Adam. She supposed that she was just on edge because of the phone call from yesterday, that it had shocked her nerves, leaving her paranoid beyond belief. 

Today was supposed to be simple, wake up, taking it easy, come into work with only a few bits and pieces to do, then go home. But she was stuck with this weird feeling, because someone in the universe must hate her and want her to suffer every other day. 

Blake had the cab pull over, quickly hopping out and rushing down the street to the store. Her ears flickered nervously, sensing someone following behind her. If someone was following her, she was safest catching them in this convenience store, she assumed. Maybe Yang’s candy craving would save her. 

Again, her ears began to twitch, that sixth Faunus sense kicking in as she felt someone approach her. It was ridiculous really. Like, did someone really want to murder her in the sweet aisle? Who knew at this point. But a hand brushed over her arm, making her jump out of her skin. 

She twisted to see a boy with umber hair, holding his hands up in the air. 

“ _Nolan_!” Blake screeched, a hand over her heart as she came down from her paranoia. “You almost scared me to death...”

“Sorry, I saw you when I was on the way in and I thought I’d come say hey.”

“I thought you were a stalker or something!”

“ _I’m sorry_!” He squeaked, hands still held high. He reached over to pick out a box of colourful candies on the shelf, twisting them in his hand to inspect the back of the box. “Sugar craving?”

“No, I told Yang I’d pick her up some candy.”

“Isn’t there vending machines in the office?”

“Not anymore.”

“Fuck.”

“That was her reaction,” Blake said, chuckling as she rounded the shelf with Nolan. The paranoia had completely faded now, relieved that it was just one of her colleagues and not some random person. For a moment, she was scared that it might be someone that worked for Adam, someone that she wouldn’t even recognise.

“Scarlet said you and Yang were going on a date?” Nolan asked, sounding a little elated by the revelation. Blake raised an eyebrow as she paid for the candy, stuffing it into her jacket pocket before they began to leave the store. Sometimes she was baffled by how fast gossip spread around, at this point the whole of Vale might think they were married with four kids.

“No, we’re not. How did he find out about this?” She asked, already having a sneaking suspicion of who told her. Goddamn Sun and his stupid finger gun gestures.

“Sun.”

“Of course it was...” Blake sighed, rolling her eyes. That was another thing about Sun that she wasn’t particularly fond of; he didn’t know when to shut up. She had wished more than once that he would lose his voice, yet it just never happened. She thanked the gods for the month where Sun had broken his arm. Best month of her life.

“How did Sun take the news? Hasn’t he been trying to get a date with you for the last two years?” Nolan asked, waving to someone across the street as they walked back towards the office building. Blake chuckled and shrugged, her hair waving around as she did so.

“ _He has_ , but I think he’s joking half the time because he goes on plenty of other dates,” Blake said, pushing the door open for Nolan to walk through. “Why are you here today?”

“Weiss asked me to model for her lookbook, but I’m here a couple hours early to see Scarlet.”

“ _Funny_ , I’m working on the lookbook set today,” Blake said quietly, chuckling at the happy coincidence. Nolan flickered his eyebrows as he backed into the elevator.

“Oh, I know. I just hope you and Yang flirting doesn’t hold up the shoot too much,” he winked as the elevator doors closed. Blake took a brief moment to wonder what she did to deserve all the teasing she was beginning to get on a daily basis. 

* * *

It was turning out to be one of the weirdest days of Blake’s lives, as she had just received an email from Weiss to come up to her office if she wasn’t too busy. Which she wasn’t busy at all, she had just finished looking over an article about different shoe lines and if they deserved their allocated pricing.

In Blake’s opinion, if you were paying five-hundred lien for shoes, you were either insane or insanely rich... although she does have a good few pairs of designer shoes that are over that pricing so she was just a hypocrite.

Going to Weiss’ office was nerve wracking, it used to be Adam’s, so she hated it. It always used to be empty on this floor though, but now the rooms were filled with meetings and the spare office actually had real people inside. It was nice to see that, actually. It made her a little less scared to come here.

With a gentle knock on the door, she let herself inside, then suddenly felt like maybe she was early or just hadn’t meant to be invited to the office.

She had walked in on Weiss sharing a gentle kiss with who Blake knew to be her assistant, which panicked her slightly. She was familiar with the way the other girl was leaning down to kiss Weiss, who was sitting behind the desk. It made her a little nauseous, thinking that there was a chance that they had a similar type of relationship.

“Sorry, should I...?” Blake threw her thumb towards the open door, gesturing that she was unsure whether or not to leave. Weiss hummed and moved out of her chair, pulling one over and flicking her hand, gesturing for Blake to come over. Weiss’ assistant smiled sheepishly, scratching her head as she walked off towards her office.

Weiss clearly noticed Blake skeptically looking between herself and her assistant, so she smiled reassuringly. “That’s Ruby, she’s my girlfriend. I’m letting her work here whilst she looks for something more permanent.”

“I did wonder...” Blake said, feigning an innocent smile as she sat down across from Weiss, still quite worried about this scenario. Weiss sighed softly as she leaned back in her chair. Blake chuckled softly, her brow furrowing as she wondered what she had been called up here for.

“Uh, so,” Weiss awkwardly chuckled, scratching her temple as she smiled. “I just thought I’d call you upstairs to get to know you better, seeing as Yang can literally not go five minutes without mentioning your name.”

“Please don’t tell me you’re about to ask if we’re going on a date.”

“I wasn’t, I’m sick of Coco and Nora cracking jokes about that,” Weiss sighed, a distantly annoyed expression crossing her features. Blake could only imagine Weiss, who seemed quite uptight, in amongst the group did what she could only describe as clowns. That was mean, they weren’t clowns, they were hilarious though.

“Anyway, I also wanted to check up on you and ask how everything is going downstairs, I don’t really get the chance to go down there a lot,” Weiss said, half glancing at her phone as a text came through.

“Everything‘s fairly normal, there’s not much to say about downstairs,” Blake said, shrugging as she crossed her legs, leaning back in her chair. Weiss nodded, half smiling as her gaze began to flit between Blake and somewhere behind her. Glancing back, she saw Ruby in her own office, pointing to her phone and gesturing to Weiss.

“You don’t happen to know anything about hotels in Menagerie do you?” Weiss asked flatly, clearly trying to be joking. But, Blake actually did know a thing or two about Menagerie.

“Yeah, I grew up there.”

“You’re joking.”

“No, my dad is the chieftain of Kuo Kuana,” Blake laughed, a smile also growing on Weiss’ face. “Why are you looking at hotels?”

“Me and Ruby were going to go on vacation before Yang’s birthday, it was Ruby that suggested we go to Menagerie,” Weiss said, smiling before waving Ruby over, a gesture telling her to come into the office. Blake didn’t know why, but she was strangely excited about helping to look for hotels in Menagerie. Maybe she was a little homesick the last few years.

Ruby bounced over with a childish enthusiasm, grinning as she walked around the desk to behind Weiss’ chair. “What’s up?”

“Blake said she used to live in Menagerie,” Weiss said, tilting her head towards Blake as if to gesture to her. Ruby’s mouth made an ‘o’ shape as she let out a long surprised gasp.

“So what’s your recommendation?” Ruby asked, smiling as she nodding at Blake.

“Amoureuse. It’s the resort on the beach, it’s really nice,” Blake said, watching as Weiss nodded and scrolled through to find said hotel. Weiss’ stern face began to crack, a smile breaking through as she clicked on something. 

“They’ve got those fancy couches that you like outside!” Ruby squealed, leaning over her chair to point at the screen. “This place looks so cool...”

“It’s not a bad price either...” Weiss muttered, scrolling through the page. She twisted her head back to look at Ruby, saying, “Do you want to go here?”

“ _Yeah_ , it looks great. I’ll jump into my office and book us a room-“

“This room specifically,” Weiss said, tapping her nail off of the screen.

“Okay, _bossy_ , that room specifically,” Ruby laughed, rolling her eyes and quickly hopping across the room to her office. Blake didn’t miss the lovesick look on Weiss’ face as she watched her go, which she envied slightly.

“Is that all you needed then? Hotel recommendations?” Blake joked, quirking an eyebrow up, one ear flopping down as she did so. Weiss hummed and clicked her fingers, leaning over the desk.

“Do you know anywhere in Menagerie that does, like, nice desserts- or just sweets?” she whispered, leaning on her hand.

“Uh, yeah, the restaurant inside of the hotel does really nice desserts and there’s a little place called Bonbon, it’s just down the street from the hotel.” Blake pouted, now unsure of herself.

“Okay... _perfect_ ,” Weiss said, pursing her lips as she jotted something down on her notepad. “Sorry, me and Ruby haven’t did anything together in a while so I just wanted it to be _special_ , I guess.”

“That’s nice, that you care that much,” Blake said, smiling as she leaned back in her chair. “I didn’t think you’d be such a softie.”

“Yeah, well, I love her, what can I say,” Weiss said, shrugging as she awkwardly scratched her face. “The annoying bonus is that she has Yang as a sister.”

“Wait, she’s _Yang’s_ sister?” Blake asked incredulously, completely caught off guard by the revelation.

“Don’t even get me started, wait till you hear this story,” Weiss giggled, “Ruby! Can I tell Blake about the time you and Yang were drunk and got stuck up a tree?”

“ _YES_!”

* * *

After her time spent with Weiss, Blake went back to work, a spring in her step despite the thoughts growing in the back of her mind. She was having fun today, for maybe the first time in a few weeks, she was actually making friends and having a good day. 

There was always that thought in the back of her head, though, that when next month rolled around she would have to go to court. That she could potentially be fucked over by Adam being an asshole. Which scared her, but it was fine. She was living in the present to avoid the rest.

Blake pushed open the door to the photo shoot, a bright room with all of the windows open, all natural lighting for this shoot. She chuckled when she saw Yang, casually lounging on one of the sofas as she scrolled through her phone. Her eyes flitted up when she heard Blake’s heels clicking on the floor, smile quickly rising on her face. 

“Hey, beautiful,” she cooed, dropping her phone onto the sofa. “I knew my charm was irresistible.”

Blake laughed and rolled her eyes, saying, “Yeah, that’s why I’m here. Not because I work here or anything.”

“You’re pretty enticing yourself, should I blow off work and we can grab dinner?” Yang asked, gaining a chuckle and a gentle kick to her leg. She plopped herself down next to Yang, dropping her clipboard down onto the sofa along with her own phone. From the pocket in her flannel shirt, she fished out a box of colourful candies, handing them over to Yang.

”You actually got me candy?!”

”Yeah, of course.”

”That was really _sweet_ of you,” she said, a mad grin growing on her face. Blake rolled her eyes and chuckled, feigning an unamused look.

“Have you seen Nolan around?” Blake asked, glancing around the room, watching photographers set up and models be reprimanded for not being dressed yet. Yang’s smile strained, dropping slightly as she stretched her arm out across the back of the sofa, sliding her box of candy into her jean pocket.

“Uh, yeah, I’m sure he’s with Coco getting dressed,” she said, pursing her lips as she averted her gaze from Blake, looking back at Nolan who was talking with Scarlet. “He’s a good guy... pretty good looking- were you wondering if he was here?”

“Yeah, I’m friends with him. I saw him this morning and he said he was gonna be here, so...” Blake smirked, letting out a small ‘oh’ as she realised why Yang had reacted so strangely. “Are you _jealous_?”

Yang chuckled, gently pouting as she held her gaze downwards, her thumb rubbing circles into the fabric of the sofa. “No... I’m just _curious_ , y’know.”

“ _You’re jealous_.”

“Shut up, no I’m not!”

“Stop getting jealous and I’ll shut up!” Blake laughed, her ears pinning up happily. She leaned her arm on the back of the sofa, leaning her head on her hand as she gently bumped Yang’s arm with her other hand. Yang chuckled and shook her head, twisting so that her back was flat against the sofa.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t be acting like a tenth grader,” Yang chuckled, wiping her face.

“It was cute,” Blake giggled, before humming and lightly tapping Yang’s arm again. “I was hanging out with Weiss and _your sister_ before I came down here.”

“I really forgot to mention that Ruby is my younger sister.”

“Yeah, she’s nice though. Her and Weiss are cute,” Blake says as she shifts around on the sofa. “Also, Ruby told me a story about you downing a bottle of tequila and getting stuck up a tree-“

“ _No_ she didn’t...”

“She did, she showed me a video of you hanging from the branch,” Blake laughed, laughing further at Yang’s quickly reddening face as her head fell into her hands. “I think that was the first time I’ve seen you use those muscles of yours.”

Yang lifted her head up, smirk growing on her face as she lifted her head up. “Is that so?”

“Yes, I’ve never saw you lift a thing.”

Yang hummed, nodding as she stood up, the muscles on her legs shifting, seen through the rips of her jeans. A view that Blake wasn’t at all opposed to. Yang continued to hum and nod as she slowly walked in front of Blake, before leaning down to quickly lift Blake up into the air.

“ _Yang_!” She laughed, her hair waving around as she threw her head back.

“ _What_? Wouldn’t you say I’m putting my muscles to good use!” Yang laughed, spinning Blake around, drawing a louder laugh out of the two of them, as well as a few stares from the crew in the background. Blake took a moment to sit upright, Yang holding her bridal style in the middle of the room at this point.

“I feel like _I’ve_ climbed a tree now!” Blake laughed, steadying herself with her hands on Yang’s neck, blushing from the close contact. The blonde giggled, her eyes darting back and forth from Blake’s eyes to her mouth, throat bobbing as she swallowed.

It was cute, this moment that they were sharing. Even if they were in a room full of people, half of them staring at them from the other side, it was their own bubble. Blake didn’t know what to think about it. She used to think relationships were something that held you down, a whirlwind that you got caught in. But before she knew you it she was caught under the weight of Adam, an overpowering and looming presence that stopped her breathing, sending her mind reeling.

But this, someone she barely knew, it was different. Because she had literally known Yang for less than a week, and she knew it was stupid to say she liked her immediately. But she did. There was an instant attraction, not just physically...

“ _Yang_!” Coco’s voice boomed across the room, causing both Yang and Blake’s heads to snap towards her. “Stop flirting and distracting Blake, we’ve got work to do!”

Yang choked on air as, chuckling as she looked back to Blake. “I’ll, _uh_ , I’ll put you down now.”

“Y-yeah, okay,” Blake said, her heels colliding with the tiled floor as Yang gently set her down. She cleared her throat as she fixed the collar on her flannel, smoothing out the crinkles on the t-shirt underneath. Yang did the same and tugged on the collar of her v-neck, giggling as she glanced at Blake, walking alongside one another towards the rest of the crew.

“Yang, come here so we can see if this shirt would look good on you,” Velvet called out from behind one of the racks, the only evidence that it was her being her ears and thick accent. Yang hummed and began walking in that direction, nodding for Blake to follow her.

She was dazzled by the charming smile, unable to notice Coco who was two steps ahead of her, stopping her with a sharp tug on her sleeve. “Nope, you two are way too distracted around one another, you can work with Nolan.”

Blake was, admittedly, disappointed. But she did agree with herself that she would come see Nolan again, just as a way of catching up a little more.

She began walking over to where he sat, in a black comfy chair with Scarlet behind him, styling his hair. Nolan smirked at her in the mirror, pointing to Blake then Yang before making a v shape with his fingers, holding it up to his mouth as he stuck out his tongue.

“Okay, no, _fuck you_ , Nolan,” Blake laughed, blushing as she spun on her heel. There was the distant sound of his laughing, which only stood to irritate her at this point.

* * *

It had been, for the lack of a more intelligent term, a good day. 

Blake genuinely believed that, despite having barely seen Velvet today. It was great. Yang proved that she was always fun to be around, which Blake was beginning to look forward to when coming into work. She didn’t know whether that was a good or bad thing as she was barely getting any work done. 

She was stood outside of the office, phone in hand as she prepared to call a cab home, when the door swung open beside her.

“Hey,” Yang’s voice rang out softly, speaking as she came to lean on the wall next to Blake. “Do you not have your car again?”

“No, I wasn’t feeling up to driving today,” Blake said, sighing as she crossed her arms, ears pinning back as she crossed her arms. Yang hummed and shuffled her feet for a moment, glancing into the car park then back to Blake. “I can give you a ride home then, it’ll save you waiting here for a cab.”

Blake considered it for a moment, really wondering about what to do. She had turned down Yang’s previous offers to drive her home, purely because she wanted to keep that semblance of control over whatever this was. Like the mystery kept her privacy. But, she wasn’t bothered by the thought of Yang invading that privacy anymore. 

“Yeah, that’d be great, thanks,” Blake said, smiling over at the blonde. Yang smiled and led the way, all the way over to... a bright yellow hummer jeep. “Yang, you’re not serious.”

“ _What_ is wrong with my car?!” Yang yelled as she popped open the door for Blake, quickly jogging around to the other side to join her inside of the car. “I mean, just _feel_ how comfy these seats are.”

“It’s not exactly the most _inconspicuous_ thing ever though, is it?”

“Can’t believe you don’t like my car...” Yang whimpered, starting up the engine and beginning to back out of the car park. Blake chuckled and rolled her eyes, settling back into her seat, happy to enjoy her company on the ride home.

It was strange, Blake realised more and more how comfortable she was around Yang. She shouldn’t be, but she was. Maybe it was just because of how laid back Yang seemed to be that it made her want to act the same way. Or... maybe she was just attracted to her. A point she had to keep reiterating to herself.

Yang’s face was priceless when she pulled into the area that Blake lived in, mouth agape as she stared out the window at the luxury apartments above her. Blake had to laugh at her shocked expression, a little more flattered when she should be offended.

“Are you secretly a part of the mafia or something?” Yang joked as she pulled the car up onto the sidewalk. 

“No,” Blake paused, tilting her head to the side to keep up the act, her ears tilting as well. “Well, _kind of_.”

“You’re ‘ _kind of_ ’ a part of the mafia?”

“Oh yeah, I’m a pro... _shooter_.” 

Yang snorted, shaking her head as she stared out of the window. She tilted her head back, rolling it along the headrest until she was facing Blake again. “So, about tomorrow night, do you want to go out on a date with me or are you still on the fence about it?”

Blake sighed, sucking on her teeth as she tapped her fingers off of the gearshift, the nearest thing that she could anxiously fiddle with. 

“It doesn’t have to be date, we can just hang out, y’know.”

“No, I know, it’s not that I don’t want to go out with your or anything it’s just...” she sighed and ran a hand through her bangs. There was no easy way to say that she was scared to go on a date. Because what if she liked Yang and then she ended up in another situation like her one with Adam? What then? 

“We don’t have to go out tomorrow either, I... I don’t want you to be uncomfortable-“

“No, Yang, I’m fine honestly. But I just haven’t been on a date in a super long time and I don’t want to bore you or anything,” Blake said, sighing. Yang laughed and swept her bangs back, tapping the steering wheel with her hand. 

“It’s fine if you want to turn me down-“

“No, _I don’t_!”

“ _Okay_ , well then what time should I pick you up at?”

“Seven. Dinner and a movie?”

“ _Perfect_.”

They both were unable to hold back the laughter that spilled from their lips. 


	6. Chapter 6

Usually, mornings were filled with coffee and Blake banging against the walls as she tried to navigate her way around. Today, however, she was excited. She had a date. A _real_ date, with someone she _actually_ liked. So, _yeah_ , she was excited.

Blake had a pair of glasses on her head, purely stylistic, only there as a means to keep her hair out of her eyes. It was a simple kind of day, a jeans, t-shirt and ankle boots kind of day. Which was apparently enough to illicit a reaction from Velvet in the form of a wolf whistle and a spin of her chair.

“You look happy,” Velvet sang, smirking as she rolled her chair over to Blake, who was only just now sitting down at her desk. Blake smiled and shrugged, turning to switch on her computer, completely ignoring Velvet’s prying eyes. “Oh, you’ve got something going on.”

“What’re you talking about?”

“You’re hiding something Belladonna, I can read your vibe,” Velvet said, an accusing finger pointed outwards. Blake scoffed and scooted away in her chair, phone in hand and determined to get away from Velvet’s analytical mind. She was somehow able to read every wrinkle on her face like a psychic. It scared Blake at times but it was honestly a talent.  
  


** [Blake: 11:02] **

velv is on to us

** [Yang: 11:02]  **

Coco is 2  👀

** [Yang: 11:02] **

Shld I knock her out babe?  🥊😘😏😳

** [Blake: 11:03]  **

i’m gonna knock you out if you keep sending 800 emojis every time you text me

** [Yang: 11:03] **

Hot

** [Yang: 11:03]  **

I  g2g bt I’ll c u tonite  💕

“ _Awe_ , she sends cute little hearts!” 

Blake jumped out of her skin, her phone flying into the air as she was frightened. She was quick to grab her phone again, holding a hand to her chest as she checked her racing heartbeat. Velvet laughed and bumped her arm, chuckling as she rolled her eyes in amusement.

“You’re _so_ dramatic,” she said, half smirking at Blake as she leaned back in her chair.

“And _you’re_ so nosy,” Blake laughed, ears pinning back as she growled at Velvet, kicking her chair away. Velvet laughed aloud, twirling in her chair and wheeling her way back over to Blake. Stuck to her like glue.

“Are you going out with her?” Velvet whispered, a smile on her face as she leaned on Blake’s desk, biting her bottom lip as she waited for an answer. Blake pursed her lips and nodded, failing to hold back the smile that broke free. “Yeah, we’re going out tonight.”

“ _That’s great_! It’s your first date where you’re probably not gonna sleep with them-“

“Velvet, _for fucks sake_!”

“Sorry! You crave intimacy, I’m being honest!” She defended. The remark had undoubtedly soured Blake’s mood though, unlikely that she would recover now. She felt like she had just been back to visit her therapist but if her therapist had word vomit.

It was true though, she didn’t exactly seek out closeness in the most normal of ways. Fell in love every night without ever knowing what love was like. Paraded around bars lit in neon lights, under the guise of an angel intruding on this midnight sabbath, praying to the gods that someone would appear to take all of the pain away, to give her that moments respite from harsh reality.

“Where are you guys going?” Velvet asked, attempting to restart the conversation.

“Dinner and a movie, Yang said she’d get us a table somewhere and we agreed to pick up tickets before we went in,” Blake says, sighing as she closes her eyes, the mini argument over who was paying that they had over the phone last night coming back to her. “If she’s paying for the tickets I’m paying for the bill.”

“Yang seems the ‘I’ll pay for everything type’.”

“Yeah, but I hate that, so she’s not,” Blake chuckled, shrugging casually. Velvet hummed, unconvinced yet uncaring. She spun in her chair again, kicking her feet and sliding all the way back to her desk to grab her phone. Blake rolled her eyes, already able to tell that she had gone off to text Coco of the revelation.

Blake turned her attention to her computer, logging in so that she could start for the day. There was Ruby’s voice screeching excitedly from somewhere in the office. Blake was still baffled that Yang and Ruby were related, because they looked nothing alike. She saw it in their personalities, bright and cheerful, always optimistic. But looks wise? Completely different. One was all chiselled charm and the other was like an excited puppy.

“Blake!” Ruby said, her voice slightly distant but Blake was able to tell that she was fast approaching. Her ears flickered as she looked up, eyes wide as she waited for Ruby to continue. A boy with short brown hair, looking unbelievably nervous walked alongside Ruby, a clipboard pressed tightly to his chest. “This is Oscar! He’s the new intern.”

“Hi, Oscar, it’s nice to meet you!” Blake said, smiling politely as she stood up to shake Oscar’s hand. He smiled nervously mumbling and stuttering over broken words as she shook her hand back. He ducked his head down, embarrassed.

“Ah, s-s-sorry... I’m n-nervous.”

“Don’t worry, we’ve all been there on our first day,” Blake said, giggling as she took her hand back, resting it inside of her jean pocket. “If you need any help just ask me though.”

Ruby nudged Oscar’s arm with her elbow, smirking. “Told you she wasn’t as scary as she looks.”

“You think I’m scary looking?”

“No, just _intimidating_ ,” Ruby admitted, awkwardly scratching the back of her head. “Anyways, we’ll let you get on with it!” Ruby said, waving as she began walking away with Oscar. She spun on her heel, walking backwards as she shot a finger gun at Blake.

“Oh! And good luck on your date with Yang!”

Blake choked on air, Velvet laughing madly behind her. 

**[Blake: 11:18]**

that’s cute that you talk to your sister about me

** [Yang: 11:19]  **

How do u know tht? 

** [Blake: 11:19]  **

i just spoke to ruby 

** [Blake: 11:19]  **

it’s cute don’t get all embarrassed

** [Yang: 11:19]  **

I was jst excited for tonite  🥺

* * *

Tonight (or tonite as Yang so annoyingly put it) was giving Blake butterflies. A flutter in her stomach, a rollercoaster of feelings. But nothing was giving her a harder time than trying to pick out an outfit. She was practically pulling her hair out trying to dress herself.

Sure, she had been on dates before and knew how to dress. This felt different somehow. Like she should be picking out a wedding dress, as insane as that sounded. There were many options for her here, many wrong options, too, as she had no idea _where_ they were going for dinner. 

Blake groaned as she dove into her closet for the hundredth time, picking out a black mesh top and a pair of light blue jeans, an idea springing to mind. A few hops across her bedroom brought her to her chest of drawers, fishing out a lacy black bralette from the already open drawer.

A sigh of relief escaped her as she started to piece her outfit together, sliding it over her body with ease. There were no qualms about her hair or makeup, having done that before she got dressed. Some called her backwards but she would argue that it was the right move. It meant no messing up her hair again and no getting makeup on your clothes.

Blake smiled at herself in the mirror, gently fixing the straps of her bra into place, making sure everything looked alright on her. It did. All she needed now was her ankle boots and she was golden, working at a fashion magazine meant that she had a few tips here and there. Her phone buzzed on the bed. 

** [Yang: 18:55]  **

R u redy? Coz I’m downstairs for whn u r

** [Blake: 18:55]  **

yeah, i’ll be down in a second

A surprised little hum slipped past Blake’s lips as she slid her boots onto her feet, grabbing her purse and phone as she stood up. She hadn’t expected Yang to be early. Not that she expected her to be late either. She honestly didn’t know what to expect anymore, because expectations were always bound to leave you disappointed. 

Blake skipped downstairs, ears pinning as something fell on the flights above her. Luxury apartments yet you still had rabble rousers in the stairway, not that it could be avoided at all. She nervously swept some hair out of her face, making sure she was keeping up her pace as she reached the bottom of the stairs, relieved at the doors swinging open for her. 

The first thing she saw, that made her smile to no end, was Yang’s extremely bright car. It was honestly one of the most horrendous shades of yellow she had seen in her life. She ignored the smile Yang was shooting her way, instead focusing on climbing into the car without looking like a complete lost puppy from the offset. 

Admittedly, Blake was a little lost for words. Only Yang could pull off a black varsity jacket with red decals, black cargo pants and simple white sneakers, making it look much better than it actually was. What confused Blake about the outfit was the sunglasses and worn out baseball cap, extremely out of place, especially because it was dark outside now. 

“What’s with _this_?” Blake asked, smirked as she wagged her finger towards Yang’s head. The blonde paused, thought for a second, then whipped off the sunglasses and cap, setting them down on the dashboard. She grinned sheepishly at Blake, saying, “Sorry, I just don’t want to be recognised tonight.”

“I think you’d be recognised anyway, seeing as Vale’s hottest woman - three years running - drives a bright yellow jeep,” Blake laughed, relishing in the way Yang blushed over her words, throwing herself back into the seat. “Should we just paint your car?”

“Stop making fun of it!” Yang pouted, crossing her arms over her chest, acting like a petulant child. Blake giggled, whipping the mirror down from above her head to check her reflection in it. Yang was notably quiet, just waiting for one of them to make the next move. 

“You look r-r-really pretty...” Yang stuttered, the heat on her cheeks quickly rising before she slapped her own hand into her face. That gained a smirk and a quirk of Blake’s brow as she tried to figure out why she had just did that. “Sorry. I could’ve said something more flattering than that.” 

“No, you’re good,” Blake said quickly. It was her turn to blush now, as she seemed to ready to accept her compliment, she didn’t want to come off as desperate. “You l-look good too...”

They spent a few moments, smiling as they looked at each other from across the dashboard. Both of their smiles seemed to soften, the tension fading from the awkward start. That was before both of them realised they were staring at one another, quickly excusing themselves to lay their backs flat against the seats, Yang’s palms splayed on the steering wheel. 

“Dinner?”

“Yep, sounds great.”

* * *

Yang’s car parked around the corner from the restaurant, with her deciding to put on her cap and glasses before getting out of the car. Blake giggled, turning her head away to press it into the fabric of Yang’s shoulder, her lipgloss lightly staining the jacket. Yang didn’t seem to mind, only smiled and gently placed her hand on the small of Blake’s back, guiding her along the street. 

The waiter looked confused when Yang stepped in. Anyone would. She vaguely looked like she was about to pull out a gun and rob the place. But she whipped off her glasses, smiling at the waiter. “Hi, I’ve got a reservation for seven under the name Xiao Long,” she said quietly, eyes quickly darting to see if anyone else had picked up on that. 

The waiter nodded and picked up two menus, gesturing for Yang to follow him along the wooden walkway, sitting them down at a booth in the back corner, with Yang sliding into the side that faced away from the rest of the restaurant. Blake raised an eyebrow as she sat down, her phone sliding onto the table. 

“What’s with all the celebrity vibes? Should I be worried about the paparazzi?” Blake joked, leaning on her hand and smirking over at Yang. The blonde laughed, shrugging as she passed a menu over to Blake, her hand lingering for a moment. “Sometimes there’s people that do come up and ask for photos, which I really don’t want if I’m on a date,” Yang said, wincing as she smiled over at Blake. 

“Oh, so this is a date?” Blake asked, tone teasing. 

Yang blinked a few times, looking quite embarrassed. “Is... is this not a date?” Yang asked, her eyes darting over Blake’s features, analysing the smirk on her face. 

“No, it is, I’m just messing with you,” Blake said. Yang let out a sigh of relief, deflating in her seat as she relaxed against the back of the booth. 

“You had me looking so stupid for a moment.”

“ _Just_ for a moment?”

“Jeez, you’re not pulling any punches, are you?” Yang laughed, nervously scratching her cheek. Blake laughed along with her, the skin around her eyes crinkling as she smiled, lightly biting her tongue between her teeth. The blonde’s face lit up, mouth laying half open as she grinned. “You just made the cutest face ever.”

“Shut up.”

“ _It was_! It was adorable!” Yang squealed, nudging her foot under the table. “Speaking of _adorable_ , did you meet the new intern today?”

“I did, he seemed pretty shy, though.”

“Yeah, he was really nice. Ruby had him on a set I was working on today. Poor kid had to deal with Nora straight away,” Yang chuckled, idly playing with the edge of her menu. Blake blinked a few times as she watched her fiddle with the menu, before finally clicking that it was a dinner menu. 

“Oh shit, yeah, we’re in a restaurant,” Blake says as she laughs, ears pinning back embarrassedly. She picked up the menu, hiding her face behind it when Yang began to grin madly at her. 

“How did you forget that we’re in a restaurant?”

“I was having fun talking to you!”

“ _Okay_...” Yang sang, picking up her own menu. “Can I guess what you’re getting?”

“Go for it.”

“Sea bass,” Yang said confidently, flopping the menu down on her chest. Blake smirked, half chuckling as she looked back down at her own menu. 

“You’re actually right.”

“Do me.” 

They both stared at each other for a moment after Yang had spoken before bursting into another fit of laughter at the double entendre. Blake hummed scanning the menu again, smile plastered on her face. “It’s either the steak or the chicken and ham.”

“What about me screams ‘ _meat_ ’?”

“What about you doesn’t scream that!” Blake laughed with a quick flick of her eyes. “Am I right though?”

Yang pouted, hiding her smile behind her hand as she pretended to look back at the menu, mumbling, “You’re right...”

The waitress came bouncing over, a happy Faunus girl with bunny ears who looked shockingly similar to Velvet yet completely different. Blake smiled, only to be ignored by her staring at Yang instead, notepad held to her chest. “I didn’t think you’d be back,” the girl said, flicking her eyebrows at Yang. 

Yang squeezed her eyes shut, clenching her jaw. Blake recognised that look. That was the ‘oh god, I can’t believe you’re here’ look. 

“Yep... I’m back. On a date.”

“Well... what’ll you and your _date_ be having then?” The waitress growled, sneering down at Yang. The blonde cleared her throat and tried her best to keep her composure as she held the menu up to the waitress, explaining their order to her. It was strange, watching this strange tension play out. There wasn’t anything earth shattering about it, not like an ex or even a bitter former friend. Blake had no clue what was going on.

“What do you want to drink?” Yang asked, sparing a glance to Blake.

“Just water.”

“Two waters then,” Yang said, quickly stacking her and Blake’s menus together, handing them to the waitress with an awkward smile. The waitress strolled off, humming as she went to the kitchen to put through their order.

“ _What was that?_ ”

“It’s a long story...” Yang groaned, her head collapsing back against the booth.

“Did you hook up with her or something...?”

“What? No,” Yang laughed, a blush rising in her cheeks. “I was drunk and spilled a tray of drinks down her. So she said I was a slob who would never get a date.”

“Guess she was wrong then.”

Yang smiled softly, cheekbones raising as she did so. “I guess so.”

There was a part of Blake that admired the way the flesh settled over Yang’s bones, skin smoothed out with an iron from the gods. She didn’t need makeup, was already blessed with that subtly tanned skin, completely clear of any discrepancies. A part of her wondered if she was an angel or a devil, if she was purity or sin. It was a dangerous line to walk, that divide between heaven and hell. Blake was walking that wire. 

* * *

“I can’t believe that just happened...” Blake grumbled, her arm still looped through Yang’s, staying close to her to keep herself warm. Yang sighed, shrugging, holding that annoyed expression from before she had left the restaurant.

“We’re clearly on a fucking date, what kind of a douche tries to slip you their number?”

“Why are you getting so worked up about it? Like, I know it’s annoying, but like you said, I’m on a date with _you_.”

Yang sighed, unable to argue with that logic. She tensed her arm, the muscles shifting under Blake’s hand. A breeze went past them, causing Blake to tuck herself further into Yang’s side, teeth chattering. It was never normally this cold at night in the summer, but of course this would be her luck.

They were walking along to the movie theatre, with it only being a few blocks away from the restaurant. However the more they walked, the colder it got, despite how boiling Yang was next to her. It was nice though, a brisk walk on a quiet night, enjoying each other’s company.

In her head it sounded cliche, it probably was. But she couldn’t remember the last time she felt this comfortable on a date. Nor a time where this sort of intimacy extended past her bedroom. For a long time she thought that she was broken, that she had a few screws loose and couldn’t make her mind up at all about what she wanted. Maybe she just didn’t know what she wanted until it presented itself to her in sheets of gold.

“Do you not think that cinema’s look super cool at night?” Yang asked, reaching out to push the glass door open, holding it for Blake to walk through. “Like, they’re always so dark with this cool neon light aesthetic.”

“I guess, I’ve never really thought about it,” Blake admitted, reaching to grab Yang’s hand again.

The blonde paused. Turned to face her with a blank expression. She grabbed Blake’s other hand, squeezing them both gently. “You’re freezing.”

“I know, I’ll be fine now we’re inside though.”

Yang hummed and let go of her hands, letting them flop back to her sides. The blonde slid the jacket off of her shoulders, swinging it around and offering it to Blake. She didn’t take it at first, instead raising a brow at Yang, wondering what the play was here. No, that was Adam’s way of thinking. Not everyone had an agenda.

“I don’t want you to be cold either.”

“Blake...” Yang sighed, already deciding not to fight with her on this one. She reached around to hook the jacket over Blake’s shoulders, buttoning the top button to keep it from falling to the ground. She blushed and shook her head, flicking Yang’s hand away with an annoyed whimper.

Here was the good part about going to see a movie at night, Blake though. Barely anyone else was here. It meant that she could stroll right up to the girl behind the desk and buy their tickets. Simple as that. No qualms about it. Besides, Yang had kind of ruined her plan to pay for dinner when she was quick on passing her card to the waitress.

“Hi, two tickets for The Nuckalavee Nightmare, please,” Blake said, with the girl behind the desk humming and quickly ringing them up. There was a soft clicks of Yang’s sneakers colliding with the floor, a slow walk over to where Blake stood.

“That’ll be twenty ninety-five,” the girl said, with Blake humming in return and sliding her card into the machine.

“Wait- _no_ , I’m paying for it.”

“Don’t listen to her, she’s delusional.”

Yang choked, lips curling into a smirk as she excepted the situation, stepping back with a shrug. The girl behind the counter rolled her eyes and quickly ripped out the tickets as they finished printing, handing them off to Yang. She paused for a brief moment as she looked up at her, but let her go nonetheless.

There was an awkward silence as they walked into the elevator, the machine whirring gently as it pulled them skywards, bright city lights dimming the further up they went in the building.

“Do you think she recognised me?”

“I don’t know, your disguise of a cap - that’s too small for you by the way - seemed pretty foolproof,” Blake commented with a laugh. Yang took the hat off of her head and inspected it, brows furrowed as she tried to figure out whether or not it was actually too small. “Do you care if you get recognised?”

“No... I just don’t want people to recognise me when I’m with you, then they’ll annoy you about it.”

“You know I’m a journalist right? My job is to be on top of these things.”

Yang chuckled and leaned back against the bar separating the elevator from the window behind them, giving them a clear view of the rest of Vale below them. Blake blinked a few times, processing what Yang was leaning against before a slight panic kicked in.

“Please don’t lean there, it might break or something, I don’t know.”

“Is that a fat joke?”

The elevator halted abruptly, sending Blake falling forward, catching herself with her hands on Yang’s forearms. The blonde tilted her head back, a laugh escaping her. She had been quick on the uptake, though, taking Blake’s hand and leading her out through the doors.

Despite not being in the elevator anymore, a part of Blake still felt like she was walking on air.

* * *

“Hear me out, haunted villages are awesome. But that movie was _trash_.”

“I know...” Blake sighed, a hand waving through her hair. She had put Yang’s jacket back on when they left the cinema again, slowly strolling through the empty streets. Yang didn’t seem to be phased by the cold wind that blew passed them, despite the rips in her t-shirt leaving a lot of room for the air to freeze her. 

“Do you think Cinder fall is a shitty actress?” Blake asked. Her hearing was trained on Yang’s quiet hum, although her ears did pick up on the sound of traffic in the background. Vale’s nightlife beginning to awaken. 

“I met Cinder once. Pyrrha knows her.”

“What’s she like?”

“A bitch.” Blake snorted, gently nudging her head off of Yang’s shoulder as she laughed. “Seriously! Then she doesn’t have any facial expressions-“

“ _I noticed that too_!”

“Yeah! Like how much Botox do you get lady, jeez!” Yang laughed, softly smiling down at Blake, who seemed to be enjoying herself. “That old woman in the movie reminded me of my neighbour.”

“Why?”

“Because she’s so... I don’t know, so grouchy. She always nags me for shit,” Yang chuckled, as they spun around the corner, the lot they had parked Yang’s car in coming into view. Not that anyone could miss it. _Bright yellow jeep_... Blake was still in shock over it. 

“Do you know her well or is she just _one of those neighbours?_ ” Blake asked. 

“Well, we’ve actually known her for a while. She used to be my uncles work colleague and we just kind of adopted her into the family, I guess.” 

Blake mulled over the thought as she climbed into the car, Yang closing the door for her and quickly hopping around to the drivers side. She about to turn to Yang and question the unorthodox nature of their family dynamic. Two sisters that looking nothing alike and a pseudo-grandmother is quite unconventional. But her phone rang, interrupting that thought. 

It was when the contact name Miss Hill appeared on her screen, that her heart sank. Why did her lawyer have to call now of all times?

“Sorry, I need to answer this,” Blake sighed. Yang hummed and nodded, turning her head away as if that gave her a semblance of privacy. 

“Hi, Miss Hill?” Blake said, throat bobbing nervously. 

“Hi, Miss Belladonna, thank you for answering with it being so late but I’ll make it quick,” her lawyer said, the brisk sound of typing in the background. “Your court date came in, it’s the twenty-fifth of August. Is that alright for you or should I haggle them a little?”

“No... no that date’s fine. I just want this over with.”

“And you want to renew the restraining order against Mr Taurus?”

“Yeah...” Blake bit her tongue for a moment, debating whether or not she should even say something in front of Yang. “Is there still not a chance that we could extend the restraining order indefinitely?”

“No... as annoying as it is for me as well, there’s no chance of that.” Her ears pinned back, eyes screwing shut at once again being shut down. Even if it was in a politer manner. “I’ll let you go, but I just wanted to tell you before I finished up for the day.”

“Right... well, thank you, we’ll talk later.” 

Disappointed, was the only word to describe Blake’s mood, now. She let her phone drop into her lap, the sound of it slapping against her jeans. Yang shifted in the seat next to her, one hand tossed over the back of her seat, the other one reaching out to gently grip Blake’s knee.

“Are you alright?” Yang asked quietly. The attention actually wasn’t unwelcome, actually it was quite the opposite. Felt like curling into a warm bed after being out in the rain for such a long time. “You don’t have to tell me what’s going on, I just want to know that you’re okay.”

Blake sucked on her teeth, reaching her hand down to sit it atop Yang’s, her palm feeling the strength that lay in the knuckles beneath her. 

“I’m... I’m getting my restraining order on my ex-boyfriend extended,” Blake said, gently squeezing Yang’s hand to stop herself from tearing up. “And I don’t think I’m gonna get it.”

“It’ll be okay.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I don’t,” Yang said, her thumb running circles on Blake’s knee through the rips of her jeans. “But I don’t think anyone around you would let anything bad happen to you.”

Blake leaned back in her seat, head rolling along the headrest to face Yang. Her ears seemed to be permanently pinned to her head, a slight smile on her face. Something about Yang was soothing, like she was safe as long as she was here with her. It was weird. It was _right_.

* * *

Yang drove her home, constantly glancing in Blake’s direction, keeping a conversation flowing of anecdotes from her life. Most embarrassing, embarrassing enough to make Blake smile and take her mind off of her other problems. She realised what Yang was doing after the first ten minutes of her talking, but she appreciated the sentiment and let her continue. 

“Are you gonna be alright?” Yang asked as she pulled the car over, the wheels bumping up onto the sidewalk. 

“I think so, it’s just weird,” Blake said, shrugging as her eyes fluttered shut. Yang hummed, her arm thrown over the back of her seat again, casually lounging like this was her home. 

“Can I ask you something?”

“Shoot.”

“Who was your boyfriend?”

Blake chuckled dryly, biting her tongue between her teeth. There was no easy answer to that simple question. “Adam Taurus-“

“Adam Taurus?!” Yang parroted incredulously. “He’s such an asshole!”

“ _Why_ are you yelling?!”

“Because how did _he_ get a girl like _you_?!” Yang laughed, a genuine look of confusion strewn across her face, emotions on view like an open window. “What was it you liked about him? The gnarly scar on his eye or his _horrendously_ coloured hair?” 

“That scar didn’t happen until we were broken up,” Blake said, her cheek tensing as she smiled. Yang caught on to the evil glint in her eye, perking up in intrigue. 

“What happened?”

“I hit him with a clothing iron-“

“ _Shut up_.”

“No, I did. He... _hit me_ with something so I hit him back,” Blake said, licking her lips. Yang hummed and nodded, a huge grin on her face. Blake wondered what in Yang’s brain triggered happiness in hearing about gratuitous violence, she didn’t know whether it was disturbing or flattering in this scenario. “You’re not who I thought you were gonna be, Yang.”

The blonde blinked slowly, wincing. “Is that a good or bad thing?”

“It’s good,” Blake said, leaning on her side with her head resting on the seat.

“Oh, _wait_ ,” Yang said, looking concerned as she leaned over the dashboard, her hand grabbing the back of Blake’s seat. She cautiously looked left and right, turning her gaze back to Blake. “Are you falling for me, Belladonna?”

Blake giggled and rolled her eyes, could feel her heart in her throat. “You’re so annoying.”

“But I’m not wrong, am I?”

It was obvious what Yang wanted, being so close, eyes darting between Blake’s eyes and her lips. The choice was still there for her though, was allowed to back away if she so chose to. She supposed this was Yang’s way of showing that she would jump that gap, would be willing to do so if that’s what Blake wanted, too. But Blake was never one to back down, not that she even wanted to anyway.

She gently cupped Yang’s jaw, leaning forward to press their lips together in a chaste but all too real kiss. Something so warm and intimate that she hadn’t felt in a long time that she felt greedy, stole another, then again and again. Blake felt Yang’s smile before she saw it, lips curling as she pulled away, biting at her bottom lip.

“Why’re you smiling so much?” Blake laughed. 

“I didn’t think you’d actually kiss me.”

“You’re such a dork,” Blake said quietly, shifting away as she reached for her purse, her hand reaching for the door handle.

“If things get weird or if you get upset, y’know, call me. I’m here for you,” Yang says as she winks at Blake, pulling herself backwards to rest against her own chair instead of Blake’s.

“I will, thanks,” Blake says as she cracks the door open “And thank you for tonight, by the way. I had a great time.”

Yang grinned smugly, tilting her head to the side with a sort of innocent look. “ _That_ , I knew.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank y’all for reading this chapter, definitely my favourite by far just bcoz y’know bee fluff. 
> 
> Anyways, I’ll see y’all next time!
> 
> If there’s typos, excuse me, it’s almost 2am.


	7. Chapter 7

Over the next week, after their date, Blake found an anomaly within her heart. It began skipping beats, doing somersaults whenever Yang was even mentioned in a sentence. Despite her lawyer having almost ruined their night, Yang managed to salvage it. Honestly, it made Blake giddy whenever she thought about how she had kissed her.

Which was stupid. She had kissed plenty of people in her lifetime. But, those people weren’t Yang. They didn’t smell like sandalwood, being thrown into a bonfire that set her aflame, the heat rushing to her cheeks whenever Velvet teased her about it. They also didn’t have plump lips, soft to the touch. Blake could spend all day being pampered by them.

Velvet had made fun of her when she wouldn’t stop smiling the whole of the next morning when they had breakfast together.

All week, Blake spent at work, Yang was always around. And it made her day _so much_ better. It was the little things, like picking each other up for work and dropping each other home when they didn’t want to bring their cars. Or the couple times when Yang had brought her lunch, which was getting increasingly ridiculous when she did do it. The first time was a normal sandwich. The next was some sort of prawn pasta and _a choice_ of sauces to go along with it.

Today, Yang must have abstained from food all together, as a neat box of roses sat on her desk.

Blake chuckled and walked over. Thankful that Velvet wasn’t here or else she would be merciless with her teasing. She gently lifted the box, picking out the card that lay in the centre. There was no name on it, only a heart shakily drawn in the centre. It was cute. The thought of Yang nervously drawing a love heart made her smile like an idiot, completely adoring the thought. She’d have to thank her later.

“Flowers?”

Blake twisted her head around to see Weiss walking towards her, voice soft as she spoke. The office was fairly empty today, with everyone having either left already or being off in other parts of the building.

“Yeah, they’re cute aren’t they?” Blake said, smiling as she spun them again in her hand. There were still no signs of a name anywhere on the box, no indication of who they were sent by or who the intended recipient was. “I don’t know if they were meant for Velvet or me.”

“It’s most likely from Yang, Coco tends to add chocolates on to her gifts,” Weiss commented, heels flicking as she takes a few steps inside of the cubicle. Blake hums and smiles down at the box, satisfied with that answer. “They are quite lovely.”

“Yeah... did you stop by for anything? Or are you just doing a walk around?”

“Oh, I was actually looking for Ruby. Her and Yang were in a meeting with the contractor from Yang’s last photo shoot.”

There was a sort of distance in Weiss’ voice, her eyes, even how far she stood from Blake. A chalk line that she’d drawn, making sure that Blake knew there was a limit to her kindness. Weiss’ head was held high, despite the weight of her Schnee crown. Blue eyes were sharp, declaring that the line was crossed, it may be the end of her.

It was fascinating, really, how extraordinarily different Weiss was from Ruby. Who carried herself like more of an excited child than the genius that Yang had claimed she was. Blake supposed they were a band of misfits that she may fit in quite well with.

“How are things with Yang?” Weiss asked, idly inspecting a small scrape along the top of the cubicle, the words ‘Sun Wukong was here!’ etched into the surface.

“They’re good, I like her a lot,” Blake said, slightly apprehensive of the question. She leaned her back against the other side of the cubicle, one ear flopping as the other raised with one of her eyebrows and her arms crossed over her chest. “Doesn’t she talk about me?” Blake joked.

“ _Constantly_ ,” Weiss chuckled, a soft smile appearing on her face. “It’s rather refreshing actually.”

What a strange term of phrase to use. It implied that Yang was used to heartbreak, in Blake’s mind at least. How Vale’s top model could get her heart broken instead of being the heart breaker was beyond her, but it was intriguing. “What do you mean?”

“Well, most women-“

“ _Blake_!”

Yang came barrelling down the hallway, Ruby in tow as they came towards them. The blonde snapped her finger, narrowing her eyes as she pointed at Weiss. “Weiss, _heel_!”

“ _How dare you_! If you don’t quite remember, I’m your _boss_ not your _dog_!” 

Yang rolled her eyes, following behind Ruby now as they turned the corner, going towards the break room. “Yet _I’ve_ heard you like to do as you’re told!” She said, with an added suggestive wink at the end before slipping around the corner completely. 

Weiss’ jaw dropped, face flushed red as she stared at where Yang had just disappeared to. Her fists gently clenched a few times over, face growing more red as she stared off into space. Blake’s ears tilted back, unsure of what to do with Weiss’ rage growing in front of her. Thorns sticking from the rose, dangerous and able to scratch anyone who gets too close for comfort. 

“Blake, please excuse me whilst I go strangle her,” Weiss says quietly, storming off after Yang. There was a yelp of surprise that came from the break room, followed by the loud thud of something colliding with the floor. 

‘ _And here I was hoping we could hangout again this weekend,_ ’ Blake thought dryly, wincing as she went to check up on them. Vaguely, she was glad that no one else was around. She assumed that it would be highly unprofessional of the company’s CEO to deck a member of staff, especially inside the building. 

Surprisingly, Yang had recovered rather quickly from whatever beating she had just endured. A bright red mark on her cheek and leaning with her hands on the small countertop.Weiss was gazing lovingly at Ruby, who smiled and held her hand, gesturing towards the door. A smile broke out on her lips, moving out of the doorway to let them leave. 

“I didn’t deserve to be slapped,” Yang mumbled, gently rubbing her cheek. “I mean, look at my beautiful face!”

“You’re right, you didn’t deserve that,” Blake said, smirking as she crossed the room to join Yang at the counter. “You deserved worse.”

“Not you too!”

“I could finish the job for her, give you another slap.”

“Do I get to choose where?” Yang smirked, wiggling her eyebrows. Blake snorted, rolling her eyes fondly as she bumped Yang’s shoulder. The blonde laughed along with her, twisting sideways so that she could have a better look at Blake, a hand coming down to rest on Blake’s waist. 

“How was your day?”

“Good, it was quiet. Nothing interesting though,” she says with a tired shrug. Part of her hoped that Yang didn’t notice the happy tilt of her ears upon hearing such a simple question. “Weiss said you were in a meeting?”

“Yeah, asshole tried to screw us for money. Joke’s on him though, he ended up paying double.” Yang grinned proudly, shrugging like it was no big deal. Blake had to laugh at the optimism and the arrogance, like this was an everyday occurrence for her. There was no real intent behind it, a silly act she put on to amuse herself and others. 

“So, uh...” Yang cleared her throat, turning her head away from Blake as she scratched the underside of her jaw. “You wanna come over to my place later and I can make dinner for us?”

“Are you serious?”

“ _Yes_...? Isn’t that a thing people do when they’re, y’know, seeing each other?” 

“No, I’d love to come over! I’m just surprised that you’re cooking,” Blake said, smiling gently as she gripped her elbow. It was vaguely embarrassing to be asked over to someone’s house on a date, mostly because she didn’t really date anymore. Yang seemed worth it though, she was too good to pass up. 

“Surprised?! It’s not like I _can’t_ cook!” Yang protested, laughing in offence. 

“What _can_ you cook then?”

“Well... _nice food_.”

“ _Nice food_ ,” Blake parroted, unconvinced. Yang’s face reddened, a smile blooming across her face.

“It’ll be good! I promise!” Yang laughed, nervously rubbing her neck before folding her arms over her chest. “Jeez, I’m ten-times more nervous now.”

“Don’t be, I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Blake said, gently squeezing her arm. Yang smiled and looked down at her feet, like a child about to ask out their crush on the playground. “What time should I come over at?”

“Uh... around half-six? It’ll give me time to get everything done. I’ll send you the address.”

Blake nodded, satisfied with those terms. Honestly, she was more giddy than any other person would be. But then again, not any other person was seeing Yang romantically, so she had earned the right to be this happy. She couldn’t wait. 

* * *

Blake decided to take the box of roses home with her, whether they were from Yang or not, she decided to look after them in case they wilted away. She used to love gardening with her mom, their backyard was practically a botanic garden. Fruits, vegetables, cosmetics, anything they felt like. It was a nice little pass time, it taught her to treasure the way things grow and bloom. Because if she didn’t care for them, they would die. 

She threw her apartment door closed behind her, lazily dumping her handbag down on to the table that stretched along the length of the back of her sofa, she continued along to the kitchen. Her home was rather dull without other people. Sure, it was nice. She liked the simple furniture and the warm wooden colours. The brown palette for some reason comforting her. 

But, it was strange. It was only a one bedroom apartment, yet fairly spacious in its own right. If it hadn’t been for a walk in closet she could easily fit another bedroom into the apartment. It was nice though... there was always that feeling that something was missing. A void no one who was brought back her was able to fill, fumbling in the dark for so long that they gave up and fell in. Her phone buzzed.

** [Yang: 17:43]  **

nrly set up 

** [Yang: 17:43]  **

cnt w8 2 c u  ❤️

There it was, right on cue. Blake didn’t know if Yang was psychic or had perfect timing, but whenever she was getting down or when she started to think about the trial next month. Yang appeared. It was always seemingly out of the blue, a text, a phone call, quickly dropping by her desk to see how she was. She never failed to deliver, and Blake absolutely adored it. She really didn’t know how she could ever pay her back for it. 

**[Blake: 17:45]**

can’t wait to see you either

** [Blake: 17:45]  **

what are you making us for dinner?

** [Yang: 17:46]  **

it’s a surprise

**[Blake: 17:46]**

does that mean you haven’t made anything yet?

** [Yang: 17:46] **

it means its a surprise!

** [Blake: 17:47]  **

sure it does 

Blake tossed her phone down on to the bed, smiling as she took a few steps away towards her wardrobe. It was a walk-in wardrobe, quite small despite itself but it was still useful. The left side used to harbour Adam’s clothes. Suits lined up like the rack to a prom store, shows perfectly aligned along the bottom. He was a freak for organisation and control, needed it all to look perfect. 

Since then, it had been filled with her clothes. Working at a fashion magazine meant that she couldn’t exactly wear the same thing two days in a row, so she filled her wardrobe until she couldn’t decide what to wear. Too many choices not enough time. Her own styles varied depending on the day and the occasion. She had suits, dresses, shirts, t-shirts- name it and she had at least _one_ variation that style of clothing. 

She took a few moments to scroll through her wares, before deciding she should take the opportunity to ask Yang what she should wear. It would be a nice change of opinion.

** [Blake: 17:54]  **

what should i wear?

** [Yang: 17:54]  **

uhhhh, lk sweatpants or smfn 

** [Yang: 17:54]  **

whtvr ur comfy in! we’r jst chillin anyway, rght? 

** [Blake: 17:55]  **

yeah, sweatpants and a t-shirt work then

She tossed her phone back down, skipping into the wardrobe to switch into a pair of black sweatpants and a loose white t-shirt, pulling her hair back into a ponytail to complete the lazy look. She actually rather liked it, it made her feel like she was going over to Yang’s to cuddle in bed for a few hours rather than eat dinner together. 

Blake grabbed her phone as she left the bedroom, not bothering to close the closet door right now, she’d handle it later. A few skips and she was back in the kitchen, adjusting the flowers where they sat on the windowsill. Counting each flower from one to ten, revelling in the fact that the petals had not yet fallen. 

**[Blake: 18:00]**

i’m heading over now 

* * *

Usually, Blake would have the nicer apartment out of those who she was seeing. Not to brag about it, her parents had chipped in to help buy it when she first moved to Vale, but she was adamant they weren’t to buy it for her. However, Yang’s apartment, even just the complex itself, made hers look like shit. 

Yang was walking alongside her car in the middle of the street, guiding her around to the building’s parking lot. It looked insane, really. This girl in her tank top and cargo joggers, casually walking her car to the parking lot, scanning her key to let Blake inside. 

“It feels weird to park next to your car,” Blake says as she hops out of her car, smiling when Yang closed the door for her before reaching forward to take her hand. “Well, it feels good to have you coming over to my place.”

“Yeah, I can’t wait to judge your apartment.”

“I think I’ve done pretty well with decorating, thank you very much,” Yang sang, guiding Blake towards the elevator, swiping her key on the keypad before the machine started to pull them upwards. It should have been anxiety inducing, even a little nerve wracking. But Blake was completely calm, idly playing with Yang’s fingertips that lay within her own hand.

The blonde smiled, gently squeezing her hand. Blake’s cheeks strained slightly from maintaining a smile for far too long, and vaguely, in the back of her mind, she remembered how Adam would say she was smiling too much. That he didn’t like when she did that, that she looked psychotic. But, right now, Blake wanted to smile.

“So, try not to judge _too_ harshly,” Yang joked, smirking as she glanced over at Blake whilst unlocking the door.

“No promises,” Blake said, walking inside as Yang held the door open for her.

To be fair, Yang’s apartment was gorgeous. Honey wooden floorboards and white walls, a yellow u-shaped sofa sitting in the middle of the living room. It had a warm feeling to it, cozy despite the fact that there was a window leading to the balcony. There was a door to the left hand side that she suspected led to the kitchen as there was a slight burning smell coming from there.

“It’s actually really nice, I like it,” Blake says, running a hand along the bookshelf sat next to the tv, filled to the brim with CD’s and...

“ _Oh my god_ ,” she laughed, followed by a short laugh. “Who knew you’d be such an Achievemen fan!”

“ _What_?” Yang snapped, face flushed as she bounced to Blake’s side. Within the bookshelf sat every single one of the Achievmen’s albums, all signed and there alongside her collection was old tickets from their concerts. It was cute. Blake remembered doing that as a kid, sticking concert tickets on to the back of her bedroom door.

It struck Blake then, that Yang was a huge nerd. The entire Grimm Eclipse saga - books & films - lay there, along with a few other choice collections.

“That’s embarrassing...” Yang mumbled, jamming both of her hands in her pockets as she sheepishly looked downwards at her feet. Blake chuckled, planting a kiss on Yang’s cheek. “I won’t tell anyone, but I will tease you about it.”

“ _Great_ , that’s _exactly_ what I wanted.”

“Shut up,” Blake snorted, rolling her eyes fondly. “Show me what you made for dinner.”

Yang hummed, gesturing for Blake to follow her into the kitchen. She did so, wondering what the smell was that was wafting throughout the apartment. A laugh escaped her, along with a roll of her eyes when she saw the pizza box sitting on the countertop, a half empty bottle of water sat next to it. “Aren’t you supposed to sit food on plates?”

“Sorry, I had to run across the street to buy us something. My cooking didn’t turn out great.” Yang winced, glancing towards the oven. Curious, Blake took a few steps forward and pulled open the oven door, only to see what she could only assume was supposed to be a pizza, burnt to a crisp. 

“ _How_ did you burn it so badly-“

“I was texting you and didn’t want to take too long texting back!”

“What does that have to do with the pizza burning?”

“Because... I was upstairs waiting for you to tex- _listen_ , that doesn’t matter.” It definitely mattered. Now Blake knew the extent to which Yang wanted to see her, and she was thrilled with the result. 

Closing the oven door back over, Blake spun around to lean on the countertop, basking in the soft glow of the lights above her. She was met with the cutest sight of Yang, squinting her eyes and pouting as she read the label of a bottle of pills she was holding up. Blake tilted her head to the side, one ear flopping down whilst the other perked up. “What’re they for?”

“ _Oh_ ,” Yang says, shaking the bottle as she looked towards Blake, “they’re for Ruby. She asked me to pick them up for her because she and Weiss are going to Menagerie for the weekend.”

“Yeah, Weiss told me. I grew up there, you know.”

“Really? That’s cool. Do you have family that still live there?” Yang asked, setting the bottle down on the counter before splaying her plans out flat on it, a slight smile on her face as she looked over at Blake. Her heart soared, stomach flipping to catch up to it. 

“My parents still live there, so I... I don’t see them a lot. They call a lot though,” Blake sighs, thinking back on it all was hard. There was a wish that she could see her parents more, but then there was the freedom of being on her own. It didn’t work out like that recently, though. There was the guilt of only ever seeing them when she had a hearing and the fear of being alone, too scared that she might run back to Adam out of sheer loneliness. 

That wouldn’t happen. She knew it wouldn’t. There was no way that she could be that broken. 

“I don’t see my dad a lot either, he stays on Patch.”

Blake furrowed her brow, smiling softly as she looked up. “You used to live in Patch?”

“Yeah! I grew up there then moved over here for school.”

“I could see you as a Patch country gal,” Blake said, giggling as she hit her tongue between her teeth, shyly flitting her eyes between Yang and the countertop. There was an image of Yang in her head, with jeans and button up shirt, a cowboy hat and boots to match, for some reason that image was really doing something to her. 

“So, where are we eating? Here or the sofa?” Yang asked, clearing her throat as she rapped her knuckles off of the pizza box. “Uh... sofa, it’ll be comfier for us,” Blake decided, nodding to affirm herself. 

The blonde hummed, scooping up the pizza and leading Blake back into the living room. Whilst Yang put one hand down on the back of the yellow sofa, bracing herself to hop over and onto the cushions. Sitting down without even having to walk around. Blake decided to take the civilised way, walking all the wag around to sit next to Yang. 

Yang silently went about her business, popping the lid of the box up and switching on the tv. Blake stifled her laugh when Yang quickly tried to flick away from her DVD player, a Grimm Eclipse film still on pause from her last watch through of it. The screen eventually landed on some reality show starring a family in Atlas. Blake noticed how the pizza was half-and-half, one side containing anchovies, the other with pepperoni’s. 

“How did you know I’d like anchovies?” Blake asked as she picked out a slice from the box, trying and failing to take a bite from the smile growing yet again. Yang shrugged, half smiling as she leaned back against the sofa, resting her arm along the back of it. “Are you not eating?” Blake asked, an eyebrow raised and taking a bite from her slice. “It’s really good.”

“I’ll eat in a second.”

“Here, try a part of mine,” Blake said, scooting closer to Yang on the sofa and holding the slice up, one hand supporting it so the topping’s wouldn’t fall off.

“What’re you doing?”

“Open your mouth, I’m gonna feed you.” Yang smirked but opened her mouth regardless, letting Blake feed the slice into her mouth. Honestly, Blake had never fed anyone food before in her life. Yet it felt strangely intimate if not entirely embarrassing for the other person, shown by the way Yang tilted her head away as she chewed. 

“It does taste good,” the blonde said, one hand covering her mouth as she reached forward to pick out a slice from what Blake assumed was the side she had chosen for herself, folding it in her hand so it would be easier to hold. “You try this part then,” Yang said, smirking as she held the food up in front of Blake’s face. 

Blake took a small bite, bashfully backing away as she chewed. It was stupid, how flustered she was getting being so close to Yang. Butterflies fluttering violently in the terrarium inside of her, somewhere, everywhere, wings beating off of her flesh, threatening to break free. 

Yang smirked, raising a brow at her. She tentatively raised her hand, pointing to the corner of her mouth. “You’ve got a little something there.”

Blake hummed, sticking her tongue out as she tried to get whatever Yang was mentioning, her cheek tensing as she smiled. The blonde only grinned further, chuckling. “No, you’re - _ugh_ \- I’ll get it.” 

Yang reached forward and cupped her face, thumb wiping away whatever was stuck on the edge of her mouth. Blake’s ears pinned back, hairs standing on end at the contact. Her heart rate only returned to normal when Yang pulled away, both of them with mild blushes on their faces.

“Do you want to watch a movie or something?” The blonde asked, adjusting herself on the sofa and reaching for the remote.

“Depends, is it one of _your_ movies?”

“Hey! The Grimm Eclipse saga is awesome,” Yang defended, reaching forward to take another slice of pizza from the box. “What do you want to want then?”

“Something good.”

“What about that Roman Torchwick documentary?”

And apparently Yang could read Blake’s mind about what she wanted to watch, either that or she just had incredible taste in what she watches.

“I was thinking the same thing,” Blake said, kicking her shoes off before curling her legs up, leaning on the back of the sofa as Yang flicked over to the channel where the documentary was playing. 

They sat there, for a while, comfortable in each other’s presence. It was nice, to watch tv and eat dinner with someone without feeling like she had to entertain them, Blake thought. Because there were only a handful of people in her life she could do that with. There was just something... _nice_ about it. Like it was their own little bubble and the rest of the world didn’t exist.

Adam was different. She had to always be alert, had to be listening in case he told her something. No matter what they watched or what they ate for dinner, he had a running commentary on it all and she was supposed to listen. He would ask little questions to see if she had been listening, making sure that Adam had her undivided attention. 

“Are you comfy?” Yang asked softly, tilting her head to glance over at Blake. 

“Yeah, I’m comfy.”

“I think you could be comfier,” Yang declared, smirking as she opened her arms up, an invitation for something unsaid. Blake returned the smile, moving to plop herself beside Yang, leaning her head down to rest on her shoulder. Yang’s arm wrapped around her, pulling her closer. She happily reciprocated, tossing an arm over Yang’s waist. 

_This_ , this right here, cuddling whilst watching tv. She had _never_ done this before. Not even when she actually liked Adam. But she loved it. So cozy and warm, a feeling of safety and happiness that was unparalleled by sitting home alone. It wasn’t long until her eyes began to drift shut, breathing slowing. 

Yang slid her hand down Blake’s arm, trying to gently get her attention. “Are you tired?”

“I’m just relaxed.”

“Do...do you want to stay tonight?” Yang asked. Blake held her gulp, noted the nervous hint to her voice. Maybe she didn’t do this a lot. Might’ve just been a long time for her. Or maybe, Blake just made her nervous. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to-“

“No, _I do_. I’ve just gotta go home and turn off some things.”

The blonde hummed, nodding as she picked up her phone, letting it fall back down onto the sofa cushion. “When do you want to go?”

“You’re so impatient,” Blake chuckled, pushing her hair back as she sat up. “But I’ll just go now, that way I can get back and we can just relax.”

“I’ll come with you,” Yang proposed, thinly smiling as she rubbed circles on Blake’s arm. She couldn’t exactly say no to that face. 

* * *

The first thing Blake noticed when she got back to her apartment was that there was a strange vibe when she opened the door. Didn’t know what it was, nor did she even think about it any further once Yang started fawning over her collection of books, but she noticed it. 

“Have you read all of these?” Yang asked, running a hand alone the spines of the books, touch gentle, treating each one with care. “Because that’s pretty impressive.”

“I’ve read some of them a few times.”

“ _Of course you have_ ,” Yang chuckled, before wandering over to the window, getting a nice eyeful of Vale below. A different change of view from her own apartment. 

Blake smiled at her, fondly rolling her eyes as she went around turning lights off in her home. She started with the kitchen, the flowers still perfection on the windowsill, each rose counted from one to eleven. All gorgeous in their own right, only a single petal shed. 

Then she moved on to her bedroom, tidying away clothes into her drawers that she had left on the ground, fixing some things into the closet in her bedroom. She always found it strange why she decided to have two closets, but to be fair, she wasn’t used to having all the space to herself. 

She spun around, satisfied that she hadn’t left anything unfixed. Drawers closed, closet organised, other closet door closed over-

Closed over?

Blake blinked a few times, fishing through her memory. At no point did she remember closing the door over. In fact, she remembered saying that she would fix it later.... maybe she had been wrong? But she should still check, shouldn’t she?

Her ears flickered, searching for a sound from inside as she approached the closet. Her hand reached out slowly, heart beating in her ears, blood thrumming. It was insane, it was nerve wracking. _Gods_ , she was about to have a panic attack if she didn’t get this over with. With one final breath, she reached her hand towards the handle-

“ _Blake_!”

Her heart sank, immediately diving into the living room to see what was wrong.

Yang was backed into a corner, one leg pulled up towards her and her hands in a fighting stance as she glared at the ground, a tiny speck of black slowly crawling towards her.

“Oh my god, _it’s a spider_ ,” Blake snorted, grabbing a nearby piece of paper, strolling towards her. She kneeled down, letting the spider crawl onto the paper, Blake quickly hurried to the door, letting it crawl outside into the hallway.

Blake glanced back to Yang with a smug smile on her face. Yang pouted, folding her arms over her chest. “I could’ve taken it.” 

* * *

Blake did wonder, when she was laying on the sofa with Yang earlier, what the upstairs of her apartment looked like. Was it the one room? Was it several? She didn’t know. 

What she discovered was a small sofa to lounge on, a bookshelf aside it. A minibar built in, then a sliding door leading to Yang’s bedroom. The bedroom took the cake, with the bright yellow bedding contrasting against the black bed frame and white walls. Above the bed, was a neon sign of a bumblebee, lit up gold, basking the room in its soft glow. 

She was in love with the way it looked, the way it made Yang look. Her hair twisted and turned, creating a halo around her head within this light. 

Yang walked up to her drawers, just under another tv in her bedroom. She fished out a pair of boxer shorts and a t-shirt, both of which Blake knew would be too big for her, which meant they were all the better to wear. 

“Here,” Yang says, setting them down on the bed. “You can wear these to bed... or wear anything else, help yourself.”

Blake hummed, nodding, already beginning to change out of her clothes and into the clothes that Yang had given her. Acutely aware of the blonde doing the same behind her, stealing a glance to see a strong bare back, muscles shifting like cogs and gears as she fiddled with the shirt Yang was wearing to bed.

Her stomach did a small flip when she crawled into the bed, the scent of lemon and sandalwood drifting outwards from under the sheets, enveloping Blake as she crawled under. There was a hesitation when Yang paused, blinking a few times before continuing onwards, coming under the covers with Blake.

The tv remote was placed in Blake’s palm, before Yang opened her arms up to welcome Blake to come cuddle with her, like they had done earlier. It was a little different this time, with them both laying on their sides, Blake’s head tucked under Yang’s chin. They flicked through and decided on a random movie on one of those late night channels, her ears tilting to the sound of the tv.

“Sorry, do they bother you?” Blake asked, wincing when she realised her ears were continuing to flick around. Yang shook her head, pulling back to drop a kiss between Blake’s ears before moving back.

“No, of course not. They’re a part of you,” Yang says softly, wrapping her arms around Blake once more, holding her so close that they practically melded together as one. Not that either would mind at this point. “Blake, can I ask you something?”

“Anything.”

“Your parents, are they coming over for your hearing?”

Blake sighed, nodding. She grabbed Yang’s hand, gently squeezing it as she sank into the blonde. “Yeah, they’re coming.”

“I could go to it, too, y’know. Back you up.”

“I wouldn’t want you getting recognised.”

“Who cares, I wanna be there for you... you’re... _you are_ my girlfriend, _right_?” Yang asked, quiet and apprehensive, like she might’ve just smashed a mirror.

“Yeah, I am... we’ll think about the hearing later, I just wanna be with you right now.”

There were few moments in Blake’s life where she felt purely comfortable and at peace. In the arms of Yang Xiao Long was one of them. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone for reading this chapter, I’ve had a blast writing jt. And I know I make a mot to typos, but there’s 1 thing run here that isn’t a typo.


	8. Chapter 8

Blake avoided her apartment like the plague. She had no clue who or what had been in her closet, but she had no desire to stick around and find out. It also served as the perfect excuse to stay over at Yang’s all week.... although she should probably not continue doing that because she was late for work every morning from having to go back to her own house to get dressed. She was thankful that she could come in at any time and not be yelled at.

Then the most wonderful thing ever happened, so spectacular that she had forgotten to do it for the last two weeks. Her mom called.

“Hi mom-“

“Okay, _spill_! Where have you been!” Kali’s voice boomed through the speaker of her phone, causing Blake to hold it away from her ear. Honestly, she was scared half of the office had just heard her mother screeching and she was barely stepping out of the elevator doors.

“I’ve been working-“

“ _Lies_! From my own daughter!” Kali yelled. The volume was getting too much for Blake’s ears, she had to turn the volume down. “Velvet told me you were seeing someone.”

“Well... _yeah_ , I am seeing someone. You actually might know her.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, you know Yang Xiao Long?” Blake smirked, she couldn’t wait to hear her mom’s reaction, she knew it would be priceless. It would be even better in person but that’s a bridge she’ll cross when she gets there. 

“I do. I’m actually friends with her dad and her uncle, we went to college together.”

Blake paused, ears pinned back and eyes narrowed. Her mom always had a way of making things odd for her. Velvet glanced at her from her desk, one eyebrow raised in question. Blake shrugged. 

“That’s good that you’re seeing someone though, sweetheart! I was worried for you for a while,” Kali cooed, and Blake couldn’t stop the soft smile that broke out onto her face. “Soooo, when do we get to meet her?”

“We’ve only been seeing each other for, like, a few weeks. Let’s not scare her off just yet.”

“Alright, alright... well it’s almost the weekend, I want a phone call to speak to her!”

“Fine, but I’ve gotta get to work mom.”

“Right, love you, sweetheart, we’ll talk later!”

Blake blew out a huff of air, stuffing her phone into her jacket pocket as she slipped into her cubicle. Velvet chuckled and smiled shyly, almost apologetic but not quite so. Blake couldn’t blame her, she probably wouldn’t have told her mom about Yang until she actually had to. 

On her desk, once again like the week prior, sat a box of roses. So, there was no mistake that they were for her. Which would mean that Yang did send them? She didn’t know, she kept forgetting to ask. It wasn’t that much of an important detail to her, but she did feel shitty for not thanking her yet. 

“Velv, are these mine or yours?” Blake asked, holding to the box and twisting towards her rabbit Faunus friend. Velvet shook her head, ears bobbing along as she did so. “I have hay fever so Coco said she’d buy me anything _but_ flowers.”

Blake hummed again, setting the flowers off to the side with a gentle smile on her face. They must be from Yang then, which made them that much better then. She would actually have to remember to thank her instead of just hanging out in her apartment and eating her food for another week. 

Part of her honestly wasn’t too eager to get started on her work for today. Mostly because it was morning interesting. She had to write an article on the benefits of getting your period, which was by far the oddest thing she had ever had to write about. That’s actually not true, she once had to write an article on why Sun was a beach bum heartthrob that was particularly awkward for her. 

But she couldn’t tell you the benefits of periods. It means you’re healthy and not pregnant, that’s it. So she would have to throw in some random bullshit about how it’s a bonding experience for women. She actually found that it was in high school, nothing bonded two girls more than asking if they had a spare tampon. Blake shuddered.

“Hey, Blakey-boo!”

Blake’s ears perked up, glancing up to see Yang coming to lean on the wall of her cubicle, a grin on her face and hands held behind her back.

“Hey, I was wondering where you were, I sent you a text but I assumed you were driving,” Blake said, crossing her legs in her chair. In the next moment she snapped her fingers, smiling softly. “And thank you for the flowers.”

The blonde pouted, brow furrowed as she brought her hands around in front of her. A bouquet of flowers in her hands. Blake was stunned. Because either she was very over the top or Yang did not buy these fucking roses, that were now beginning to annoy her. “How did you know I got you flowers?”

Blake grabbed the box of roses, holding them in front of her. “Wait, so you didn’t get me these? What about the box from last week?”

“No? Someone sent you flowers?”

A huff escaped Blake’s lips, inspecting the box in her hands. A small card attached to the back of it, an inscription in gold that read, ‘For my darling, I’ll see you soon.’ She jolted, pure unadulterated fear taking over as she tossed them down into the trash. They weren’t from Yang. Definitely not from Yang.

“Are you alright?” Yang asked, circling around to walk inside, her hand finding Blake’s as she sat down on the desk. Blake nodded, squeezing her hand and measuring the size of her palm against Yang’s. She was tiny compared to her, which a part of her loved.

“I’m fine,” Blake says, gingerly scooping the bouquet of flowers from Yang’s hand. “These are gorgeous, by the way. Thank you.”

Blake glanced at her computer as it turned on, the date and time flashing on the screen. July twenty-seventh... “Yang, isn’t your birthday this weekend?”

“Uh, yeah, it’s tomorrow,” Yang said, awkwardly clearing her throat.

“Why didn’t you say? I’ve got to get something for you.”

“You really don’t have to.”

“I want to- I’m getting you something nice. That’s final,” Blake said, setting her flowers down. The blonde sighed, a tiny smile on her face nonetheless. She leaned down to plant a kiss on Blake’s lips, Blake grabbing her jaw to steal another few pecks of her lips.

“Blake, I’ve actually gotta go now.”

“ _Fine_ ,” she whined, letting Yang walk away from her, smiling when the blonde winked at her. Velvet slid her chair over towards Blake, suspiciously eyeing her, one ear half flopped forward. Blake returned the same look although she could bet that she was ten-times as curious.

“Don’t you think it’s odd that she never mentioned her birthday?” Velvet asked, one eyebrow raised.

“I do, but then again I don’t know.” Blake wanted to ask Yang what was wrong, to try and discover what was going on. But she didn’t want to pry, sensing that there was something deeper on the matter than just her not wanting to draw attention to herself.

Both Blake and Velvet glanced up to see Pyrrha bouncing over, a pep in her step and a grin on her face, always looking so friendly and approachable. A part of Blake understood how people loved her, she was honestly iconic across the whole of Remnant. But she was also definitely intimidating from her height alone.

“Blake! I have a favour to ask of you!” Pyrrha said, sliding onto the desk, legs crossed as she smiled down at the two girls. “A favour?”

“Yes, it’s about Yang’s birthday,” Pyrrha says, her wrist flopping to point at Blake. “We’re doing a last minute surprise thing at my place. I need you to bring Yang over.”

“Alright, I can do that,” Blake said, smirking at the idea. So that made two things that she had to do: fine Yang a present and somehow get her to Pyrrha’s house without suspicion. Pyrrha smiled, whipping her phone out. “Great! Give me your number and I’ll text you the details.”

Blake nodded and took Pyrrha’s phone in hand, inserting her name and number for her, whilst Pyrrha discussed with Velvet what time everyone else would be coming at. Blake had to admit, she was rather excited. 

* * *

Keeping Yang from discovering a surprise party was harder than Blake thought it would be. What was even harder was getting her dressed and ready to go to said surprise party. 

“Blake, I don’t know how to dress for, ‘ _classified_ ’,” Yang laughed, flashing air quotes as she looked over at Blake. 

“Which is _why_ I’m dressing you,” Blake sang, waving a hand through Yang’s rack of clothes. Like Blake, she had a walk in wardrobe. That looked like it had been organised by a three year old, because everything was all over the place! She made a mental note to fix this, because she, for one, didn’t think random trousers and shirts should be sat next to each other. That was just common sense.

She picked out a red satin shirt, pairing with dark trousers she found on the bottom shelf and a red belt she found on one of the other racks. “Put these on,” Blake said handing them over to Yang who was still hovering around in a vest top and boxers. 

“So, I take it that we’re going somewhere fancy?” Yang asked, gesturing back and forth between the outfit Blake was currently wearing and the one she had handed over to Yang. Blake glanced at herself, a lilac off the shoulder jumper, black skirt and strappy heels. 

“It’s not that fancy.”

“It totally is, heels are for fancy things,” Yang stated proudly, fishing through her drawers for fresh underwear. Blake chuckled, skipping past Yang to the bed, decorated in fresh bedding that they had thrown on earlier. A soft lilac colour that almost matched her jumper. She leaned over the bed, reaching for the gift bag she had stashed away, her bracelet jingling and necklace swinging as she did so.

“What’s that?” Yang asked. 

Blake hummed and glanced over, only to see Yang standing with her back to her, glancing over her shoulder, as she pulled her underwear up her legs. Blake was quick to look back down at the gift bag, unprepared to see Yang’s bare ass just a few inches away from her. 

“It’s your birthday present,” she said, clutching the bag in her hand. Yang’s eyes widened, eyebrows raised as she slipped into the pair of trousers’s Blake had handed to her, tucking her shirt into the waistband as she hopped over. “So much for not wanting anything for your birthday.”

“I didn’t, but you got me something so of course I’m gonna be excited,” Yang said with a shrug, smiling as she waved her hair behind her shoulders. The Faunus girl smiled and handed the bag over to Yang, watching her pick out the small card, the words ‘Happy Birthday Yang’ written on the front.

“I’m keeping this card,” Yang murmured, turning to sit it on the drawers beneath the tv. Blake held her breath, biting back a smile as she watch Yang unwrap the rest of her present. Not to brag, but she thought she had outdone herself. That’s a lie, she just really liked this gift. 

Yang popped on the long suede box, with a necklace and a ring neatly sitting inside. Both were golden, the necklace holding a design of a flame, that instantly intrigued Yang, her finger tracing it. The ring wasn’t so subtle though, it had the design of a dragon, swallowing the tail through its mouth and completing the loop. Blake had actually recruited Coco to find out the size.

Immediately, Yang picked out the ring, sliding it on her finger, smirking as she inspected it. “Blake, these are amazing,” she said, carefully picking out the necklace next. “Can you help me put this on?”

Blake hummed, taking the necklace and wrapping it around her neck. Carefully, she clicked the clasp into place, unable to stop herself from placing a small kiss on the nape of her neck before pulling away. She wouldn’t share the detail of how she had spent seven-hundred lien on her gifts, which would make her look completely insane. “Gold suits you.”

“Yeah?” Yang questioned, turning to look at herself in the mirror, clasping the necklace between her thumb and forefinger. She decided to undo another button on her shirt, letting the necklace dang there. “These are really amazing...”

Blake smiled, leaning her chin on Yang’s shoulder, arms wrapped around her waist. “I’m glad you like them.”

“I think we’re good to go then, beautiful.”

Blake grinned, reaching over to the bed and fishing a black piece of cloth from the gift bag. “We are, but you’re gonna need to put this on first.”

* * *

“Uh, not that I don’t trust you or anything,” Yang says as she grips onto Blake’s hand, letting her lead her blindly. “But where are we going?”

“We’re almost there.”

Yang whimpered but stayed quiet, holding Blake’s hand and hoping for the best. Blake wondered if it scary, following someone blindly, not knowing where you were going or what you were walking through. Blake could’ve been walking her through hell for all Yang knew right now, yet she followed her anyway. 

Pyrrha pulled open the front door to her home, which was more of a mansion than anything else. It honestly made Blake feel strange, walking along this fancy driveway to a huge house, the smell of chlorine indicating a pool in the backyard. 

She made sure to pull Yang in through the door, quietly shutting it behind her. She flashed a thumbs up to Pyrrha and everyone else in the room, all of them already holding drinks and party poppers in their hands. Except from Jaune. Blake could see that he was practically hospitalised over on the sofa. “Okay, we’re here,” she said softly, pulling the blindfold off for her. 

The room erupted into a mixture of people yelling surprise and party poppers banging, causing Yang to yelp and take a step back towards Blake. Her hand slipped into Blake’s intrinsically, smiling as she stepped forward, gently nudging Blake with her elbow.

“Your gift still trumps this,” Yang whispered into Blake’s ear, making her laugh.

Pyrrha pouted, seeming to have caught on to what Yang had just said. She playfully slapped Yang’s shoulder. “This was very last minute you know! Do you know how much I had to go through to stop Nora from eating everything?”

“Not as much as I had to go through,” Coco said, shuddering falsely. “Watching her and Ren kiss was _my nightmare_.” 

Yang rolled her eyes, snatching Coco’s glasses from her and putting them on her face. She turned, flicking them down at winking at Blake, before smiling again. She must’ve sensed the awkwardness, how Blake felt out of place here. Luckily, Blake didn’t have to drag Yang anywhere, she spotted Velvet in the kitchen, just down the hallway.

She pointed towards Velvet, gesturing to Yang that she’d be down there. The blonde hummed and nodded, letting herself be pulled away by Ruby, who was practically bouncing out of her own skin. She couldn’t exactly get in between two sisters, so she took off towards Velvet instead.

“Hey, what’re you drinking?” Blake asked, gesturing towards the glass filled with mystery juice. Velvet hummed as she took a sip from her glass. “Strawberry sunrise, it’s Yang’s favourite drink apparently.”

“Please tell me there’s other drinks.”

“There is, miss ‘drinks whiskey straight’,” Velvet said with a roll of her eyes. Blake smirked, sitting down on the sofa where Velvet was previously, who was now off to fetch her a drink. The house was nice, Blake noticed. This part that they were sitting in was clearly meant to be a lounge of some sort, several sofas all spread around evenly in a square.

Weiss came sauntering over, a small smile on her face as she watched something from a distance, using the arm of the sofa to guide her into sitting down on the cushions. “Hi, how are you?” Weiss asked.

“I’m fine, how about you? I haven’t seen you at the office this week.”

Weiss grinned, lifting her hand up, a diamond ring gleaming on her finger. “I’m doing well. Oh, and thank you for helping me find a hotel. We loved it.”

Blake’s eyes widened upon the realisation, her face breaking into a smile. That was certainly an unexpected revelation, even if she had only known them for a short while. But also explained why Weiss seemed so anxious to have everything perfect for their vacation. She wondered what Yang would say...

“ _YOU’RE ENGAGED?!_ ”

Apparently she didn’t have to wonder too long. 

Blake smiled and half turned to watch Yang and the rest of her friends waltzing over, Yang in particular stomping her shoes off of the ground as she approached them. She reached her arm out behind the sofa, welcoming Yang to come sit with her. Which she did, her own arm instinctively wrapping around Blake’s waist to hold her hand.

Yang sat with a deadpan expression, sipping a glass of strawberry sunrise that was placed in her other hand. The Faunus girl smirked, a joke on her lips but not quite passing through, sensing that whatever is going to happen next would be ten-times more amusing.

“It’s been a week since you guys got back, why am I just finding out about this now?” Yang questioned, sighing as she cuddled closer to Blake. Everyone looked between Ruby and Weiss, who were casually lounging on the sofa as if they hadn’t broke a major piece of new to the group.

“It was a surprise.”

“No, this party was a surprise. _That_ , was a dick move,” Yang said, accusingly pointing at Weiss, who shrugged in return.

“Fuck you, I’m engaged.”

The blonde groaned, tucking her face into Blake’s neck as she did so. Blake smiled and petted her head, body shaking as they both laughed lightly. “So weird seeing my sister in love.”

“I’m sure she’d say the same thing about you.”

“Who said I loved you?”

“Who said I was talking about me?”

Yang laughed, amused by her cheeky flirting, before downing the last of her drink, setting it aside in order to cuddle up to Blake. 

——————

As time ticked on, everyone was drinking more and more, words flowing like a river of anecdotes. It wasn’t uncomfortable, far from it. Blake felt involved in their conversation about how they were embarrassed at their senior prom, then enjoyed how the laughed at her own story of all of the drawings Sun has drawn around their office. 

She also now knew that a drunk Yang was all that she imagined. A charming mess that she wanted to hug, kiss and cherish mine she was a puppy. 

Blake was unbelievably relaxed. Possibly just drunk, but relaxed was the word she was using. She and Yang had switched positions, moving around so much to the point where Yang was lying casually, arms wrapped around Blake as she cuddled her waist. Her hand occasionally ran up and down Blake’s arm, soothing. 

But now, as evidenced by Nora’s previous statement about Yang being a ‘disaster’, had come into play.

“How long do you guys reckon it will be before Yang puked up her drink?” Ruby said, smirking as she winked at her sister.

Yang growled. “I haven’t puked after drinking for ages.”

“You puked on that girl who was at the office party last year,” Jaune pointed out, half pointing at Yang and half pointing to the sky. He was definitely too drunk too function, judging by the way Pyrrha pulled his arm back down as it floated for far too long.

“Other girl? Am I, like, girlfriend thirteen to come to one of these parties?” Blake said, laughing as she glanced up at Yang.

Coco snorted, “she wishes she had other girlfriends, no one’s lining up for any Xiao Long.

“Shut up, Coco,” Yang growled, letting go of Blake as she moved to the side, her face held in a scowl.

“Oh yeah!” Nora yelled, jumping excitedly. “The mommy issues popped out with that one-“

Yang sighed and stamped her foot on the ground as she stood up, shaking her head as she walked off, staggering as she went. She was clearly too intoxicated to walk around alone, almost banging into a wall she walked away. She seemed to be enraged by her friends previous comments, letting herself out into the backyard so that she could go sit at the poolside.

“I’ll get her,” Blake said quietly, excusing herself as she quickly hopped away. There was no way that she could leave Yang alone, too desperate to help her through whatever she was going through. Rain, hail or shine, she was willing to say that she would turn to for Yang as soon as she needed her.

The poolside was lovely, the backyard lit up a dill green and blue palette from the lights inside of the pool. Yang sat on one of the loungers, staring into the water, watching her reflection ripple with each sky move of the wind.

“Hey,” Blake said, announcing her presence as she sat down next to Yang. “What happened in there?”

“I... I just got a little overwhelmed...” Yang said, fidgeting with her fingers, avoiding eye contact. Blake didn’t push, only hummed and understood that maybe she didn’t want to talk about it. Which was fine - Blake leaned her body against Yang’s - it was just right.

“You’re the first girlfriend I’ve ever brought to one of these parties...”

Blake sat up straight, ears standing on end as she processed this new information. How odd, she could’ve sworn that Yang allegedly slept around, rarely kept a girlfriend, monogamy not being for her.

“That’s sweet... why’d you freak out about it?” Blake asked quietly, hugging Yang’s bicep now. 

“I... it’s embarrassing.”

“It’s not.”

“It is!” Yang protested, sighing as she threw her head. “It’s some sappy bullshit in my head that wants my girlfriend coming to something like this to be special-“

“It is special, and it’s great!” Blake insisted, shaking Yang’s arm. Yang stuttered again, choking up as she nervously shimmied around. Blake saw the telltale signs of her anxiety, knowing them all too well. The blonde cleared her throat, slapping her thighs to hype herself up.

“I just... I’ve never really dated anyone...” Yang sighed, gulping as she trained her eyes on the pool. “It’s embarrassing, really.”

“Yang, it’s not a big deal,” Blake said, chuckling as she placed a kiss to Yang’s cheek. “You deserve so much more... I’m just sorry that I’m who you ended up stick with-“

“Okay, now I know you didn’t say that to me Belladonna,” Yang laughed, turning to be able to hold Blake now, both hands settling on her waist. Blake chuckled, skin creasing around her eyes, glad that she had gotten Yang to smile at her. It was all that mattered. “Blake?”

“Yeah?”

“You know I don’t care about any of your court stuff right?” Yang said. Blake quirked an eyebrow, as much that was nice, Blake was slightly offended. “Not that it’s not important! It’s that... y’know, I’m here for you... I don’t care if you have baggage.”

“That’s an awful lot of baggage.”

“Yeah, well, at least let me help you carry some of that weight,” Yang said quietly, brushing Blake’s hair behind her ear. She giggled and held her hand there, curling her head towards it, enjoying the moment between the two. Yang stared at her for a moment, then for a moment longer.

Blake felt her eyes fluttering closed as Yang came closer to her face, against one another, two beating hearts colliding. Yang was unbelievably gentle, always was when they kissed for some reason. Yet this time it felt more intimate, softer. Like they had created their own little pocket inside of this world, where they could just exist.

“Wanna go home?”

“Go home?” Blake asked, chasing over Yang’s lips.

“Yeah... I just wanna be with you right now. 

* * *

Going home to Yang’s apartment, didn’t mean that she wasn’t enjoying herself, Yang’s hands and her lips were dream worthy, so much so that she was already anticipating a good night ahead of her. 

Too occupied by Yang’s lips on her neck, she kicked off her heels, discarding them without a care. 

Before, with everyone else, they wouldn’t be as kind and considerate as Yang was. Wouldn’t gently grab her waist or hold her by the small of her back. Wouldn’t look her in the eye by accident and smile, retaining that smile as they continued to kiss her. It was all so different, so much softer than anyone else. 

Much more special. 

And Blake loved every second she was with Yang. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oododdidj thanks for reading everyone, I bet it’s not what everyone expected but I just wanted a fluff chapter. Anyways, I hope y’all liked and I’ll see yah later. 
> 
> If there’s any typos, I’m half asleep at 2 am-


	9. Chapter 9

Yang Xiao Long had experienced a lot of things in her life. Photo shoots, wild parties, extremely boring and heated board meetings, many thrill seeking activities that only adrenaline junkies would dare try. But nothing quite compared to waking up to Blake Belladonna, nude under her sheets and pressed up against her, searching for warmth.

She hadn’t had a lot of girlfriends in her life. Didn’t do one night stands, she wasn’t into that. The thought of sharing such an intimate moment with someone only to never hear from them again when morning comes. There had been the occasional girl that she’d met, but they didn’t stick around long enough to find out that she was more than a pretty face they’d seen on a magazine once or twice.

Blake let out gentle breaths, still fast asleep. God knows what time in the morning it was, but Yang could hear the rain beating off of her window. That suited her just fine, it meant that they wouldn’t need to do anything today.She couldn’t resist reaching up to trace Blake’s facial features, thumb dragging over her jawline. A smile broke through on her lips, like a giddy child, as if she was discovering everything for the first time. Learning constellations mapped out from the sharp edge of Blake’s jaw to the bones of her hollowed cheeks. 

Like she said, Yang hadn’t really had a lot of girlfriends. She knew that she had two in counting, which surprised people for some reason. Blake was different from all the girls she had been romantically involved with before. She saw Yang for herself; not the model or the thrill seeker, just Yang.

Which she loved, enough that she started to fall for Blake as soon as they started to become friends... which was probably an asshole thing to do on her part, she didn’t even know if she was single or straight. It seemed to be working out though.

Blake stirred in her arms, one ear flicking as it bumped off of Yang’s chin. She didn’t dare breathe the wrong way in case she woke her, instead settling into running a hand up and down Blake’s back, tracing the dip of her spine from top to bottom before cradling her neck. She looked so beautiful...

“Are you awake?” Blake asked, voice raspy from sleep. Yang screwed her eyes shut, wincing. “Yeah... did I wake you?”

“No, I was already awake. I was just cozy.”

Yang hummed, curling her arms further around Blake to pull her even closer, which she accepted by wrapping her arms around Yang’s neck. She couldn’t refute Blake on the point that this was cozy. There was a comfort in knowing that whilst the rain poured down outside, they were both warm in bed.

“Are you hungry?” Yang asked, eyes flicking open. That was a thing that couples did right? Breakfast in bed? She was sure that she could do that... _maybe_. No promises.

“Depends, what are you offering?”

Yang paused for a moment, brain whirring as she tried to conjure up a mental list of what she had in her kitchen. “Pancakes, fruit... toast. I _think_ there’s cereal there too but I don’t know.”

“Pancakes and some fruit sound good,” Blake said. It was followed by Yang dropping a kiss onto her forehead and moving to get out of bed, padding across the carpet to the door.

“ _Yang_ , put on some clothes!”

“It’s only you and me here?!”

“The moment’s passed, cover your ass!” Blake laughed, covering her face with her hands as she fell back into the pillows behind her. Yang laughed as well. She had planned to grab her bathrobe on the way out, but she refrained for a few moments just to see how Blake would react. As anticipated, the flushed face and girlish laugh were cute.

“I _guess_ I’ll put it on then,” she said, reaching over to unhook her bathrobe from the rack next to the door, pulling it on quickly. It was freezing in the apartment, after all. She wasn’t dumb enough to forego clothing in this temperature. “Do you want anything else from downstairs?”

“Your motorcycle and ten-million lien in cash.”

“ _Ha-ha_ , you’re _very_ funny,” Yang said, smiling and rolling her eyes as she left.

Blake smiled as well, watching Yang do a few funny hops against the tiles of the floor outside of the bedroom, clearly freezing from the way she shivered.

It was nice, this new routine of waking up next to Yang, even if Blake had only done it a handful of times now. Something about it was very comforting, almost like she felt at home. Each of the few times she woke up next to Yang was the same: either an arm was tossed over Blake’s waist, holding her close or she had cuddled up against Yang’s chest.

They had yet to have one of these days, were everything from the get-go felt intimate, how a lazy day in bed could feel romantic when it really shouldn’t. A soft bang came from downstairs, followed by Yang shrieking. Blake laughed and shook her head, clutching the sheet to her chest as she sat up to grab her phone. 

**Pyrrha:**

Hey, I can’t get a hold of Yang  ☹️ Is everything alright?  🤨🧐

Vaguely, Blake knew she should feel guilty. After Blake had went out to the pool last night to check on Yang, they went back inside for what felt like only twenty minutes before they left. To be fair, people were already getting ready to leave, but... Yang wanted to leave so, they did.

**Blake:**

yeah everything’s fine, we just woke up. she’s making breakfast right now.

** Pyrrha:  **

Good! Hope you guys had fun last night  🤪😉 Tell Yang to call me!  😁

** Blake:  **

i’ll make sure to tell her, see you later. 

She tossed the phone onto the bed, reaching for the tv remote next. Blake found that everyone had their little tendencies whilst texting, Pyrrha’s just so happened to be that she texted like someone’s mother. After flicking the tv on, she heard Yang jogging towards the bedroom, two bottles of water and one huge plate in her hands.

“The floor is freezing!” Yang whined, tossing the bottles down before setting the plate down slightly gentler, cutlery clanging on the plate. “Wait, let me under the covers.”

She promptly lifted the plate up against, sliding under the quilt and towards Blake, tucking her feet and hands in-

“You’re fucking freezing!”

“I told you that!”

“You said the _floor_ was freezing, not _you_!” Blake laughed, grabbing Yang’s hand which was gripping on to her waist, searching for warmth. Despite her complaints, Blake allowed her to stay like that, heating herself up. She reaching over to the plate, snatching a blueberry and popping it into her mouth.

Blake hummed and stole another piece of fruit, enjoying the freshness of them. Yang whined and pouted up at her, head resting on her shoulder. “Can you feed me a strawberry?” Yang asked, putting on her best puppy dog eyes.

She nodded and picked off a piece of one of the pancakes, sitting a strawberry on top of it before feeding it to Yang. “I outdid myself with these-“

“These are from your fridge.”

“No, they’re from my homegrown fruit... bush.”

“Do you mean an orchard?” Blake chuckled, lifting the plate up for Yang as she shifted to sit up against the headboard.

“Do I mean an orchard?”

“You do,” Blake said, picking off another piece of the fluffy pancake to feed to Yang, who could barely chew from smiling. “Pyrrha said she wants you to call her.”

Yang blinked a few times, trying to process and think of what Pyrrha could want. She hadn’t replied to her text from last night, but to be fair she had been rather preoccupied with her girlfriend to answer Pyrrha. She should probably text her back.

It wasn’t fair, that she had dragged Blake home last night. Sure, she knew Blake was happy for the two of them to leave, she didn’t mind. It was still a shitty feeling, knowing that Blake could have had a lot more fun, but she had to ruin it.

“Hey, about last night, I’m sorry for dragging you away from everything,” Yang said, scratching the bed sheets with her finger, gulping after she spoke. Blake shrugged and leaned into her, tucking her head into her neck. “You were uncomfortable and you wanted to leave, of course I’m gonna come with you.”

“Yeah but, y’know, I should’ve asked if you wanted to stay instead,” Yang says, guiltily looking away from Blake. “I’m sorry...”

“It’s fine, I promise,” Blake reassured. One thing was for certain, she didn’t think Adam would ever have thought of saying something like that, let alone actually said it to her. It went a long way in her eyes.

“I meant to ask, did you ever find out who sent the flowers?” Yang asked, picked up a few berries to feed to Blake, which smiled and happily accepted.

“No... _I think_ my ex sent them, but I can’t be sure.” Blake was sure, but she didn’t want to look like a psychopath and start throwing around accusations. Yang sighed and cuddled closer, raising an eyebrow.

“The same ex you’re getting a restraining order on?”

“Yes?”

“Blake, that’s _really_ fucking weird,” Yang said, lips parting and eyes widening at how nonchalant Blake could be about this. It was weird. Really fucking strange, in fact. “Why didn’t you mention it?”

“It was your birthday, plus, I didn’t want to bother you with it.”

“But it’s fine! I want you to tell me these things, y’know? Like, I’m here for you,” Yang cooed, twisting a little to let Blake comfily fall back into her, using her like her own personal pillow. There was a painful twang that rang through Yang, making her dip her face into Blake’s neck, closing her eyes to savour the moment of quiet.

She wished she knew more about what was going on, but that was a line she had no intention of crossing. There was no type in pushing against the tape, it would only snap and leave things in tatters. So she settled for whenever Blake was ready to share, ready to willingly let her in to take a look at her scars. Not that she could judge, she had her own fair share however they were invisible to the naked eye. Only those with sharp minds and a tendency to pick up on odd behaviours could see them.

“What about your lawyer? Did you tell her about it?” Yang asked, eyes closed and voice quiet as she spoke.

Blake shook her head, no. “There’s no point, I know him well enough to know that if he _did_ send them, there would be no way to prove that he did.”

“I fucking hate that.”

“Join the club.”

“I will,” Yang says, grinning. “I’ll be the vice-prez of the club since you’re the president.”

Blake chuckled, loud and airy, a happy little sound overall. It was intoxicating, something that Yang wanted on repeat every moment of the day. However, that was impossible. All she could do was keep a mental record of it, would keep a copy for when she was feeling down so that she could play it over and over... was that creepy? Was she on the same level as her ex?

“Hey, I’ve got a question,” Blake said, moving the quickly emptying plate off to the side of the bed before rolling over, head perched on her hand. Yang smiled and raised an eyebrow, intrigued and excited. “Shoot.”

“Tell me something about yourself? Like, last night, when Nora said something about your mom.” Her exact words had been ‘mommy issues’, but that was possibly too much for Yang to take, she might have a heart attack.

“Uh... that’s a... that’s a long story.”

“It’s fine if you don’t want to-“

“No, I do, it’s just... I guess it’s just one of those things,” she shrugged, growling at herself in the reflection of the mirror at the other side of the room. “Su- my stepmom died when I was really young. She was Ruby’s biological mother but she was _way_ too young to remember. Then I’ve actually never met my real mom.”

Blake only nodded, slowly cuddling further into her, an act of reassurance more than anything. 

“Uh, but it was hard, sometimes. Obviously my dad was upset but I had to look after everything for a little while. It turned out fine in the end but it was still shitty, I guess.” Her bottom lip quivered, the thought barely there before she was locking it away again, gulping as she swallowed the key.

“I’m sorry,” Blake whispers, dropping a few gentle kisses to Yang’s shoulder through her garishly coloured robe. “You didn’t deserve that.”

“It’s done now. I turned out just fine.”

“ _That,_ you did,” Blake said, putting an obvious emphasis on her words. Yang chuckled and wrapped her arms around Blake, gently squeezing her as they laughed. 

“What about you? How was your life on a tropical island?” Yang asked, and Blake felt compelled to answer.

“Average, I guess. My parents were Faunus activists and my dad is the chieftain of Kuo Kuana-“

“ _Totally_ average-“

“Shut up! It was average for me.” Blake lightly slapped Yang’s chest, pouting. It _was_ an average life for her. Sheltered in her home, by her parents. She didn’t know any better than to always believe in kind words and gentle smiles, she couldn’t tell the difference from what were real and fake. “But that was my life, then I moved here for Beacon University.”

”I almost went to Beacon.”

”What happened?”

”I started working with Weiss, so Ruby went instead.”

Yang slid out of the bed, walking over to rifle through her drawers, fishing out a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt for herself. Blake cleared her throat, raising an eyebrow as she elegantly rolled onto her side, head upheld on her fist. Yang chuckled and cheekily tossed a t-shirt towards her, far too big yet would fit just nicely for their lazy day. 

She reluctantly turned away, crisp air pricking her skin as she slid out from under the covers to throw the t-shirt over her head. Yang hummed again behind her, trying to get her attention again without needing to do much. Blake raised both eyebrows, sitting back down on the bed as she turned to look at Yang. 

“I’ve got a question for you,” Yang says, smiling as she turns to begin walking back to the bed, clouds parting outside and letting the light stream through, following her footsteps across the room. Her knees sink into the mattress as she knelt on the bed, yet Blake felt like she was the one bowing below an alter. “Do your parents know?”

“About us?”

“Yeah,” Yang sings, still smiling as she lays on her back, stretching across the bed, her presence alone enough to entangle around Blake’s entire being, keeping her anchored to the present. No lingering thoughts of past regrets or future turmoil. “I’d love to meet them- is that too soon?”

“A little,” Blake said, wincing before lying over Yang. She smiled when she thought of her mom calling, asking what was going on in her life after Velvet had filled her in. One thing was for certain, Yang wasn’t Adam. Blake knew she was right this time, she could feel it. “We’ll see...” 

* * *

It was around hour four of lying in bed that they decided to move downstairs to the living room. Predictably, Yang began to get restless. Her fidgeting ranged from a hand running along Blake’s leg innocently as she tried to focus on the series they were bingeing, to whipping her phone out every few minutes to check on social media.

Blake was curled under one of the blankets they dragged down with them from upstairs, half-smirking as she watched Yang begin to fidget again. The blonde twisted at her respective side of the sofa, legs curling up before outstretching again. She couldn’t help the laugh that slipped out next.

“What’s so funny?” Yang questioned, rolling her head along the back of the sofa cushion. Blake shook her head, smiling as she leaned back as well.

“You can’t sit still.”

“Sorry...”

“No, it’s fine. Just come over here,” Blake said, beckoning her over and lifting the covers to let her under. The blonde didn’t waste a second, scrambling over and sliding under the huge blanket, head and back resting against Blake. It was rather nice, having someone lying like this on you. Blake particularly enjoyed it, because now she could freely run her hands through Yang’s hair.

Her phone began to buzz, her mother’s name flashing up. “Sorry, I should take this,” Blake mumbled, sliding the answer button across as she pressed the phone to her ear.

“Hi, sweetheart, how are you?” Kali sang, voice melodic and sweet. Yang sat up, grinning widely at this coincidence. “I’m fine, mom-“

“Is that your _mom_?!”

“Is that _Yang_?!”

Blake groaned, wishing she could melt into the floor when a request for a video call flashed up on her screen. She proceeded to question how annoying her mother actually was, and how that compared to Yang’s bubbly personality. She found that she couldn’t stay made at either party. With a sigh, she accepted the call.

Yang cuddled closer, although, very conservatively. Keeping a reasonable distance so that she wasn’t completely cuddling up against her. Blake chuckled and watched as her mom inspected them on her screen, eyes narrowing as she did so. “Have you got a good look at us now, mom?”

“Shush, I just wanted to look.”

Yang chuckled, waving as she smiled. “Hey, Mrs Belladonna, your daughter talks about you all the time!”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah! She’s says you were an awesome mom when she was growing up,” Yang gloated, drawing a laugh and a smile from Kali. Blake’s heart fluttered, because she already knew that Yang was winning her over. She could feel her mother’s intrigue through the phone.

“I’ll need to remember that one,” Kali smirked before leaning backwards, the earrings of her Faunus ears jingling. “What are you both up to?”

“Lying around, watching TV.”

“Blake, do you do anything else?”

“I read-“

“Doesn’t count,” Kali laughed, flopping one ear back. There was an odd tilt to her smile, one that Blake was familiar with yet still barely recognised. Yang, unable to resist any longer, curled her arm tighter around Blake, pressing a kiss to her cheek before settling down once more. “So, that’s all you two are doing today? Lazing around?”

“Yeah, I coerced her into it with breakfast in bed,” Yang said, smiling. Blake chuckled dryly and shook her head.

“I didn’t need to be coerced, I wanted to.”

Another smile, soft and sure, Blake had a very good feeling right now. “Breakfast in bed? Sounds like code for something else,” Kali sang, smirking.   


Yang’s face turned bright red, her mouth falling open as she tried to conjure up a sentence to save herself. Inevitably, she tripped over her words for too long, falling flat on an awkward laugh. Blake chuckled and wiped her cheek, as though she could clean the red complexion away with the tips of her fingers.   


“It was actually breakfast in bed, mom. You’ve broken her.”

”I didn’t expect her to be teased so easily,” Kali chuckled. “Sorry, Yang.”

The blonde shook her head, not minding one bit. If anything, she enjoying the family banter. “Don’t worry about it, it’s funny.”

“Well, I have to run off to work. I’ll see you next on the twenty-fifth then, alright?” Kali sang, already moving along with her camera as she went around her house. Blake’s heart sank, the good feeling she had immediately leaving her. “Oh, and it was nice seeing you Yang! I’ll talk to you both later!” The phone hung up.

Yang nuzzled Blake’s neck cutely, pressing a few light kisses to the underside of her jaw. It soothed her to an extent. She must’ve sensed her uneasiness, because her touch was gentle and the world seemed to quieten as she wished. “Are you alright, baby?” Yang asked.

“I’m just...”

“Worried about your hearing?” Yang said quietly, so that not even if the walls had ears, they wouldn’t overhear this detail.

“Yeah, I am- sorry, I’m being a downer.”

“It’s fine, you know I want you to talk to me about these things,” Yang says, shifting as she lets Blake lean back against her. “It’s a part of the girlfriend role.”

Blake smiled, gripping Yang’s jaw as she pressed a kiss into her cheek, grinning widely. Yang chuckled and gently grabbed Blake’s hand, squeezing it. “You’re too good, Yang.”

“Only to you,” she whispered back and Blake knew it was true. “Want me to go with you to your hearing?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Why not?”

“Because someone will recognise you and I really don’t want that pressure on you,” Blake said, her mind already decided on what would happen. Yang hummed and nodded before shaking her head. Blake knew she wasn’t disagreeing because of her ego, but because of her protective nature that lay underneath the surface.

“I’ll wear a hat or something then, I don’t care,” Yang says as she shrugs, her head coming to lean against Blake’s. “Please, just let me be there for you.”

“Alright... well then, I should tell you what happened-“

“You don’t have to!”

“I will,” Blake said, sighing as she sat up straight. “You’re gonna hear it anyway.”

Yang adjusted herself again, unable to sit still. She decided that she wouldn’t let Blake be alone, sitting upright as if she were already being trialed. It was intrinsic, her arms falling to Blake’s waist even under the blankets, pulling her close so that they could be together. “So,” Yang starts, voice unsure, “what did he do to you?”

“He... was an asshole. Would tell me what to do, what to say, what to wear. It was a nightmare.” Blake paused to look up at Yang, only to find her gazing softly, her grip on her waist loose and freeing. “We argued all the time... it was more than just verbal though. I-It... it got physical.”

She took note of the low growl in the back of Yang’s throat, inaudible if not for the fact that she was pressed up against her.

“Then the eventual big incident was when I left. I had snuck back into his apartment to collect the last of my clothes, and Adam was there.” Blake laughed bitterly. “Only this time, instead of throwing a punch, he pulled out a knife. He stabbed it into my hip, so in retaliation I-“

“Hit him... with the clothing iron...” Yang completed the sentence, mouth agape, nodding as all of the piece fit together. “I did wonder. I’m sorry, you deserve better than what happened to you.”

“But you know, when we’re in there, he’s going to try and lie to the judge to justify why he’s innocent. You know that, right?” Blake asked, brows raised Yang and ears pinned back, trying to convey Yang the importance of this detail, as it wasn’t the most comfortable thing to go through.

“Exactly, and it won’t be easy to go through, so I want to be there for you.” Blake sighed and nodded, knowing that she had a point. She knew herself that she may be inconsolable afterwards if the worst came to worse and she didn’t get her extension.

Blake smiled, moving into Yang’s lap and wrapping her arms around her neck, hugging her tightly. Yang returned the gesture, one arm around her back whilst the other rested on her hip, thumb soothing over the fabric of her t-shirt. Blake knew what she was doing; as did Yang. A sign of respect, of affection. Touch healing the raised and misshapen skin underneath, saying _I would take it all away if I could, but for now, I hope this is enough_.

“Could you feel that scar?” Blake whispered, into the shell of her ear. “Did you think it was hideous?”

Yang shook her head, already sure of her answer, too stubborn to change it for the world.

“I felt all of your scars, and placed a kiss on every single one,” she says, and Blake agrees. Remembers her Midas touch, turning her flaws to gold and treating them like something to be cherished, along with the rest of her. “I still think you’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever met.”

Blake sobbed, because that was enough. That was more than enough, it was everything she wanted. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHHHH V8 PREMIERED TODAY, HOW WE FEELING?
> 
> Also, thank u guys for reading this chapter, as always I love to hear back from everyone on how you’re feeling about the story so far. 
> 
> Anyways, as always, I’ll see y’all next week. If not, I’ve been kidnapped by my school for exams.


	10. Chapter 10

“Fuck!”

Blake let out a string of profanities as she tumbled out of Yang’s bed, doing a funny hop on one foot as she slipped into her underwear, searching around for something fresh to wear for the day. She certainly wouldn’t wear any of Yang’s clothes, no, they would drown her.

Speaking of, Yang groaned and rubbed her eyes, having somehow slept through the ordeal of Blake’s alarm going off thirty times in succession. Yang stretched and yawned, spread out like a cat. 

“Good morning to you too, baby,” she said, gaining a prompt pillow to the face from Blake. “Why are you running around like a headless chicken?”

“We have work in twenty minutes.”

“Ugh, let’s just ditch-“

“No, let’s not ‘ _just ditch_ ’, I have bills to pay!” Blake squealed, resigning herself to the fact that she could not find a single shred of clothing and beginning to shred through Yang’s wardrobe, trying to make something work with her ripped white jeans. Eventually she pulled out a black t-shirt, oversized and perfect.

The blonde yawned again, scratching her face as she joined Blake inside of the wardrobe, randomly picking out clothes like lottery numbers. For being a model, with an actual sense of style, she was very lazy with it. It extended into her entire demeanour in the morning. Or maybe she just wasn’t a morning person, Blake supposed they balanced each other out in that way.

Yang glanced at her as they got dressed side by side in the mirror, smiling softly. “You look hot.”

“Don’t lie.”

“I’m not!” Yang protested, pouting. “Why do you never believe me when I say you look good?”

“Self deprecation,” Blake replied dryly, brushing her hair back into a ponytail. Yang hummed and nodded, watching Blake as she left the bedroom, walking over to Yang’s minibar where they had dumped their stuff last night.

One missed call from Velvet and an unopened text. That was fine, she wondered what was wrong-

Yang’s arms wrapped around her waist, lifting her up into the air. Blake instinctively fought to break free before bursting into a fit of laughter at how childish the act was. Yang laughed as well, spinning her around and walking her back into the bedroom, holding her in front of a mirror.

“How gorgeous do you think that girl with the black hair is?” Yang said, pointing to the mirror. Blake chuckled and rolled her eyes, she could see what Yang was doing, but she wouldn’t crack. It was taken as a challenge.

“The blonde one is more my type,” Blake said casually, shrugging.

“Your type, huh,” Yang says as she grins, hugging Blake’s waist as she rests her head on her shoulder. “What _is_ your type?”

“Tall, blonde, drop dead gorgeous.” Blake grinned wider. “Total dork.”

“I think I know someone like that.”

“Think you can introduce me?”

“I can pull some strings,” Yang said as she winked, making Blake giggle. Blake heard her phone begin to buzz again, out near the minibar, too far for her to reach. “Okay, we’re actually gonna be late now.”

* * *

They were late. 

They both already knew that but they were not prepared for the unamused looks they got from everyone. Velvet rolled her eyes when they walked in together, that stung a little seeing as she and Blake been friends for years, but she didn’t blame her for it. 

“Sorry-“

“Shut up,” Velvet said quickly, making Blake wince. “Did you get my text?”

“No I haven’t had the chance to open it, we woke up late because we were-“

“Blake, I don’t want to hear about what you and Yang do at night,” Velvet said, grinning as she cringed exaggeratedly. Blake nodded, blushing. Not because Velvet was right, but because the embarrassing truth was that they had both stayed up late on Yang’s balcony playing eye-spy. 

“What were you texting me about?” Blake asked, mentally waving off the memory of being curled up on the sofa on Yang’s balcony, playfully arguing over the colour of a truck parked below. 

“Weiss walked by this morning saying something about you and Yang, she didn’t seem happy.” Velvet said, flicking her eyes at Blake. 

“That’s nothing new, she’s never happy.”

” _Blake_.”

That was never a good sign. Well, Weiss saying anything and not looking happy was never a good sign. She had came to learn that in the few weeks that Weiss had taken over the company. 

“Do you think it’s a bad thing?” Blake said, wincing as her ears pinned back against her head. She couldn’t begin to imagine what could go wrong with her and Yang. It ranged from a PR nightmare to Adam finding out. She didn’t know which one was worse... yes she did. 

That was something she thought about often, Adam finding out about Yang. She wondered what he would do, what length he would go to. He was never a fan of doing things himself, always took the easy way out. Would he send someone to hurt her? Knowing it would leave a scar on Blake. Would he somehow ruin Yang’s career? It was possible.

Blake just didn’t like to think of the possibilities. 

A part of her knew he would find out eventually. That as soon as the realisation dawned on him a plan would be hatched, something falling into place that hadn’t quite been thought of before. A new torture. A fresh layer of hell to drag Blake through. 

“Do you ever think that Yang is about to surprise you with something?” Velvet asked, ears bobbing as she spun in her chair. Blake laughed dryly, the answer coming immediately.

“Constantly. But, please, do go on.” Blake gestured for Velvet to continue. 

“Coco keeps being super vague about where we’re going tonight,” Velvet said, groaning as she rolled her eyes and flopped back into her seat. “She got extra lien on a job she did for someone and now she thinks that she’s a millionaire.”

“Just let her do it, trust me. Yang gets all mopey when I tell her not to do something,” Blake said. She was already having flashbacks to when she told Yang that she didn’t have to go all the way downstairs to get her a drink in the middle of the night. Predictably, Yang pouted and lay in bed, going on and on about how it would only take her two minutes to go downstairs and fetch Blake a drink. 

“I will... oh, and Blake?” 

“Yeah?”

“Your phone’s ringing.”

Blake blinked a few times before realising that her phone was on silent, the only knowledge that it was ringing being that the screen had lit up, Yang’s name with a love heart next to it flashing. Velvet giggled. “ _Awww_ , you’re like a twelve-year-old saving their girlfriends number.”

Blake rolled her eyes and slapped her hand over Velvet’s mouth to shut her up. 

“Hey, cariño, you free?” Yang said, voice quiet and soft on the other side. Blake melted. 

“Cariño?” 

“Yeah! It’s Vacuan for darling,” Yang said proudly, although Blake shuddered at that word. “You like it?”

She didn’t. She wasn’t about to break Yang’s heart and say that though. 

“I like the little nicknames you give me.”

“You told me to never call you snookums in public.”

Velvet grinned, cheeks straining as she did so. “ _Snookums_?!” She mouthed, giggling madly. Blake blushed and hid her face behind her hand, hoping that was enough to shield her. It was not, Velvet only continued to laugh. 

“Yeah, but I liked it,” Blake admitted, eyes screwed shut as she avoided Velvet’s teasing gaze. “What are you calling for?”

“Oh yeah, Weiss needs you to come up to her office for a second,” Yang said, chuckling nervously. “Sorry.”

“Idiot,” Weiss said in the background. A part of Blake wanted to yell at her and tell her to not call Yang that, but she also knew that terms of endearment came in the form of insults between the two. 

“I’ll be up in a second.”

* * *

Yang wasn’t exactly thrilled when she saw what Weiss had to offer her today, because of only could it be a complete scandal, but also one of the biggest inconveniences for her love life. Maybe she should give up trying to hide it in the first place. It’d make things a whole lot easier. 

“So, I have a question,” Yang said, gesturing to Weiss’ laptop even with her arms folded across her chest. “Why are you so secretive? And why does Blake need to be here?”

“Because it’s better if she knows...” Weiss growled, practically pulling her hair out at this point as she typed furiously on her laptop. Ruby nervously looked between Weiss and her sister, her cross earrings dangling with each turn of her head. 

“Is this about me being asexual-“

“No, Ruby, that’s a totally rad thing that no one hates,” Yang sighed. Whenever there was awkward tension, it was the first thing she brought up. Which was understandable but also slightly annoying. She did her big sister duties and left it at that. 

The door gently swung open, being placed back in the frame by Blake, who smiled as she walked across the room. Yang instinctively reached for her waist, intrinsic and new, making her heart flutter with the realisation that she could do that now. 

“What’s up?” Blake asked, smiling as she looked between everyone. Weiss screwed her eyes shut, Ruby falling silent beside her. Yang already knew what Weiss was about to flip on them, but it was still jarring nonetheless. She had dealt with PR before, call a few people and grease a few palms then - _BAM_ \- your problems are gone. 

It was a fucked up system for sure, but she made sure to take advantage of it.

Blake looked between everyone again, more anxiously this time, smiling dropping and ears flatting atop her head. “What’s going on-“

“I’m asexual!” Ruby blurted out.

Blake blinked a few times, processing that information. 

“Ruby, stop bragging about how you’re in the one percent!” Yang barked, playfully growling. “We get it! You’re special!”

“That’s cool, I didn’t know that,” Blake said softly, opting for a more gentle approach than Yang’s fiery sarcasm. It worked a lot better, seeing as Ruby smiled fondly and her squared shoulders sank as she relaxed. Weiss rolled her eyes at Yang before grabbing the screen of her laptop, twisting it around to face Blake and Yang. 

What Yang had been told was that pictures of her and Blake kissing in public had been released and that Weiss had already taken care of it. What she had not been told was that... this video had came back to haunt her. 

“Oh...” Blake murmured, eyes flicking from Yang to Weiss then to Ruby, who admittedly looked a little uncomfortable. “This explains so much about you two.” 

Weiss remained silent, the video still playing, a loud moan sounding through the room that made Yang cringe.

“Can you please turn it off now,” Yang begged, turning away, almost ducking behind Blake to hide. Weiss clicked the space bar and leaned back in her chair. No one could say for sure if this was the most mortified they had ever seen Weiss, but they were willing to bet that it was at least in the top five.

“So... this was released?” Blake asked, an eyebrow raised as she pointed at the laptop.

“Almost, but we’re about to shut it down,” Weiss said, sighing. “You’re taking this remarkably well.”

“Stranger things have happened.” Yang could only imagine what that meant. But she supposed that was a story for another day.

“So what happens now, huh?” Yang asks, a smug smile crossing her face, features becoming more cocky by the moment. “We call Glynda? Maybe Oz?”

“Already been called, please don’t bother them,” Weiss growled, rubbing her temples.

“ _Jeez_ , what’s up your ass?” Yang chuckled, looking to Blake for backup.

The Faunus girl smiled, and crossed her arms, leaning towards Yang. “Well actually, you are,” Blake laughed as she pointed towards the laptop.

Everyone groaned, loudly.

“Oh _come on,_ it was funny!”

“It’s too soon and I’m too sober for it,” Weiss groaned, her head flopping down onto the desk. Ruby ruffled her hair affectionately, soothing the part of her hair were her ponytail was tightest, scalp finding relief upon the new sensation. Yang chuckled and rolled her eyes at her melodramatic friend.

“Wait, can I ask you both something?” Blake said, ears perked up and eyes curious. Ruby nodded, Weiss nodding too from her position on the table. “Just out of curiosity, what’s your compromise because Ruby’s asexual?”

“Oh,” Ruby perked up, grinning, suddenly interested in the conversation. “We still have sex. I like the intimacy. It just takes a lot of prep on my part though.”

“Huh, that’s really interesting but also cute,” Blake says as she looks towards Yang. In all honesty the blonde didn’t know that either, actually admired it in a way. They had a flawless ability to compromise that she looked up to in a way. There was a vague thought of how proud she was that she was looking up to her younger sister on something.

“Moving on,” Weiss said sternly, rubbing above and below her right eye, a reminder of the past and a promise of the future. Yang couldn’t says that she liked scars, but she admired them all the same. The one hidden under Weiss’ makeup was no different from the one on Blake’s hip. Both held tales, past hardships, yet they lived to share the story.

“I don’t know if Yang told you, like I asked her to.” Weiss looked pointedly at Yang, who did anything but cower under her, “but there were photos of you and Yang in public that were almost released.”

Strangely, Yang watched Blake’s body go rigid, ears pinned and pupils blown wide.

“It’s okay though, we took care of it.”

Apparently that wasn’t enough to soothe her, Blake’s fingers curled up into her palms, nails digging into the skin.

“I still think it’s kinda bullshit that I need to hide the person I...”

_Love_.

The word came out of nowhere, sat there so naturally on the tip of her tongue like it been said a million times before in a million different lifetimes. Yang didn’t know what had came over her, cheeks flushing. The feeing was exactly unfamiliar, but it was... new. In a way that she had yearned for since she was a teenager.

“The person that I’m _dating_...” she said, finishing her sentence before she could stick her foot in her mouth further. How odd that it should come out of nowhere like that. She supposed that was the power of practically living with your girlfriend for the last month.

Weiss hummed and leaned back in her chair, smiling at Ruby who was awkwardly fiddling with the pens on her desk, organising them into colour codes. “Well that _bullshit_ keeps you both from being harassed.”

“It could be worse, you could be made to sign an NDA-“

“Ruby, you’re not helping.”

Yang sighed and covered her face with her palm. It had to happen eventually, the whole family embarrassing her in front of the coolest girl she’d ever met in her lifetime. Just wait until Blake met her dad... or even worse, Qrow! She didn’t know if she was ready for Blake to meet rehabs poster boy just yet.

“If that’s all... I was gonna go grab lunch,” Blake said, sighing as she tossed a thumb towards the door, other hand on her hip. “Want me to bring food back for you guys since Yang’s working a shoot.”

“I’ll come with you,” Weiss says as she stands, stretching her arm up, bones popping as she did so. “Would that be alright?”

“Of course.” Blake nodded, surprised by the sudden proposition of her company. They waved curtly before leaving together, the two sisters left alone in the room.

Yang cleared her throat, following Ruby over into her office. Desk littered with stacks of papers and sticky notes, a collection of names and numbers to call. Yang was glad that this wasn’t her job, all she had to do was look good on the other end of a camera.

“Do you-“

“She’s totally about to harass your girlfriend about your relationship.”

“Maybe she’ll spare me and she won’t..?”

Ruby chucked, brows furrowing as she looked up at Yang. “I love Weiss, but she’s batshit crazy.”

“Must be nice scented batshit seeing as you’re marrying her.”

“Shut up.”

* * *

Blake and Weiss sat in her car, an odd silence overtaking them. Weiss seemed nice enough. They were friendly but not that close. Not acquaintances but not quite friends either. They were on that edge though, Blake was sure. She supposed there had to be some sort of closeness to them now. Blake gave her relationship advice and in return gained the knowledge that Weiss and Yang had some sort of relationship years ago. 

Which, she could only imagine, made for some awkward family dinners at one point. What with Ruby and Weiss being together now. 

“Where do you want to go for lunch? There’s a nice little deli down the road,” Weiss said, fingernail tapping off of the dashboard as she pointed. Blake hummed, following her directions and muttering a soft reply to Weiss, keeping it friendly. 

“You’re weirded out by the video aren’t you?” Weiss asked, eyes screwed shut. 

Blake shrugged, not knowing what to say. What could she really say to that. Because, yes, it was a little strange to have seen a video of her girlfriend screwing their mutual friend, who’s is also their boss, of whom Yang has also known for years longer than Blake. So, yes, it was weird. 

“A little, I won’t lie,” Blake muttered, ears flicking back and eyes narrowing in on the parking space she was about to swerve in to. “It’s just a strange thing to see. Especially knowing Yang.”

“Yeah well... that was a different time.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning that you should ask her, not me,” Weiss said, tongue sharp as she answered. To an extent, Blake knew she wouldn’t pull any punches. Not that she didn’t want her to, it was much more helpful than evading the question all together. Even if that answer was cryptic.

“Can I ask you something?”

Blake nodded as she switched off the engine. She had nothing to hide. Laid bare for her icy eyes to inspect until the sun returned and she was melted once again.

“What is it that’s going on with your ex? I know vaguely, but... if you don’t want to-“

“He’s a psychopath and I want a restraining order,” Blake said pointedly, growing bored of the questions already. Knowing more were to come. “The hearing is next weekend. I think Yang wants to come with me.”

“She does but-“

“You don’t think she should go because it’ll be a nightmare if she got recognised.” Blake had been here long enough to knew what meant what. Had caught onto the lingo fast and became fluent.

“Actually, no, for some reason there’s no fighting her on this one. So I’m advising her to go,” Weiss sighed, a soft smile on her face as she turned to face out the window, a gesture that sang that she didn’t want Blake to know that she was smiling. It was too late however as Blake could see within the reflection of the window.

“Yeah... she’s adamant she’s coming to support me,” Blake says, licking her lips as she tries to gauge Weiss’ reaction in the reflection of the window. It was hard to tell, the sign outside was the same colour as Weiss’ eyes. Puddles spilling into an ocean, unable to know which was which. “I feel better that she’s coming, in all honesty.”

“Are you coming to my engagement party? It’s in a few weeks time.” Weiss’ voice croaked as she spoke, still staring out of the window, watching the frost begin to gather at the edges of Blake’s car window. The cold weather was arriving, Vale’s winter early this year. “I’m sure even if I say no Yang would drag me there anyway. But, yeah, I’m going.”

“Good...” Weiss nodded, another sharp breath. 

  
“Blake?”

“Yeah?”

Weiss turned to face her, gingerly biting her bottom lip as she swallowed, throat bobbing. “Please, don’t break her heart...”

“I won’t-“

“No!” Weiss growled, shaking her head fervently. “ _Please_... she can’t take it.”

Blake understood, could see the hurt in her eyes. A pain shared, love declared, a world of pain she hadn’t experienced. But she could come to know what it was like, had had her own share of heartbreak. She didn’t plan on making a mistake here. 

“I promise, I won’t hurt her...”

Blake didn’t know if she was telling the truth or not. Her brain was fuzzy and filled with sunflowers, unable to make out anything past the smell of pollen and the golden petals.

* * *

Driving at night was always weird. Especially in a brightly coloured car. The world could see Yang yet she couldn’t see a damn thing... maybe she needed to get her eyes checked. 

“Yang? It’s midnight, what’s wrong?” Blake’s voice came across the speaker, reverberating off of the walls of Yang’s hummer. She smiled, the sound more than enough to bring one to her face. Even when she was pretending to be moody. 

“I’m coming over.”

“At midnight?”

“Blake, I’m coming over for kisses and cuddles, are you really gonna reject my body heat on a night like this?”

She knew Blake couldn’t argue. What with her silent answer and how she disconnected from the call they were on, flashing up on the screen that she had muted herself for her. Yang could imagine her right now, running around frantically as she tried to find her keys, carefully packing away things Yang had brought and left lying around. 

When she arrived, the door was already left open for her, Blake tiredly sitting on her sofa, eyes half closed as she waved at Yang. Even like this she was gorgeous... Yang always made sure to pinch herself, making sure this all wasn’t some elaborate dream and she hadn’t actually gone insane.

“You’re wearing my shirt...” Yang said bluntly, locking the door behind her before coming to sit next to Blake on the sofa.

“I missed you so... I just, y’know, put it on,” Blake said, blushing shyly as she smiled. It was adorable. Yang loved it. She loved a lot of things. Her heart was swelling, so full that it was beginning to leak, she could feel the emotions dripping out, staining everything they touched. 

“You’re so cute,” Yang giggled, unable to resist cupping Blake’s jaw and moving in for a chaste kiss. “How was your thing with Weiss today, by the way? I forgot to ask."

"Good." Unlikely. Blake tensed under her hands. Something happened, evidently. "She said your thing with her happened in a different time. What does that mean?”

“Oh...” Yang mumbled. Thinking about her sisters fiancé was the last thing on her mind right now, honestly, but she supposed she’d dig up some graves to show Blake the remains. “We were both _lonely_... I guess.”

“I get that.”

“It’s done now, anyway. In the past,” Yang said, grinning as she made a slam dunking motion. Blake giggled and scooted closed, leaning against Yang entirely. It was cute when she did things like this, her ears pressed up against Yang’s chest, a content little smile on her face.

“My hearing’s next week...”

Yang hummed. “Are you scared?”

“Unbelievably,” Blake chuckled, not at all sounding nervous. “What about you?”

“I’m coming with you, aren’t I?”

“You are...I hope it’ll be alright.”

“Pfffft, it’ll be fine!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Excuse me, it’s 3am again.


	11. Chapter 11

Adam Taurus.

He was all Blake dreaded. All she feared. She tried to be brave, to stand tall in front of him, chest puffed with pride from all that she had built without him. All it took was one sigh, one sneer for everything to come crumbling down. Her resolve shattered in an instant.

She dreaded this hearing. Hated the fact she still needed to shower and get ready. But it was comforting to have someone to wake up next to.

Yang sighed softly, lungs expanding to let in the world, an open book where anyone could write their own anecdote. Her lips were parted slightly, light snores escaping. Blake giggled when Yang instinctively moved closer to her in her sleep, hips shifting to let Blake curl in closer.

Blake rolled over to grab her phone, showing her that they had plenty of time to get ready still. She knew how their mornings went though, better safe than sorry. She gently rubbed Yang’s arm, leaning up on her hand as she smiled down at the blonde. Yang stirred but didn’t wake, only tugged at Blake’s shirt to go back to sleep.

“Yang, baby, we’ve gotta get up,” Blake whispered, smiling at the way Yang scrunched her nose up in distaste.

“Five more minutes...” she mumbled, tucking her face into the pillow, sighing deeply.

_Adorable_ , was all Blake could think. She rolled her eyes and slid her legs out of the bed first, breaking free from Yang’s grasp as she stepped out onto the carpet. Yang grumbled something incoherent, gripping her pillow as she pulled the covers up further over her.

They had took a bath together the night before so that they would have a little more time to sleep in. All she had to do was get washed, put on some makeup and put on her outfit for the day, simple.

So that’s what she did for the next half hour whilst she let Yang sleep in, until she began to realise that she had let Yang sleep in for half an hour and not five minutes.

“Yang,” Blake said as she finished buttoning her blouse, glasses settled in her hair. “Babe, you’ve got to get up now.”

The blonde groaned and sat up, crawling out of bed. She growled as she waved a hand through her hair, stalking into the bathroom. Blake had yet to hear Yang complain yet about having to be up so early but she assumed that she was just respecting the nature of the day.

“Blake,” Yang yelled from the bathroom.

Blake hummed as she adjusted her heels, checking how they looked in the mirror before tossing them back into her closet and picking out another pair. “What’s up, sweetheart?” Blake called out.

Yang appeared in the doorway to her closet, smiling softly. “Please, keep calling me that.”

“You like ‘sweetheart’ that much?”

“I do,” Yang said, feet shuffling on the carpet as she squeezed past Blake to what Blake had now dubbed ‘Yang’s side’ of the closet. Mostly because she moved everything in that space to her side so she could make room for Yang to put her clothes there. But if anyone were to ask, that part of her closet was already empty. 

“I was gonna ask you if you could pass me out my clothes _but_...” Yang cheekily flicked an eyebrow upwards, pointedly looking between Blake’s heels and her closet. “You look _busy_.”

Blake gasped falsely, smacking Yang’s leg as she passed by with her clothes in hand. The blonde paused in the doorway, looking back at Blake who was only just standing up, having found the perfect heels to match with her outfit.

“Uh, you look great by the way,” Yang asked, eyes scanning over Blake’s outfit, cheeks tinted pink. There was nothing special to it, just a skirt, blouse and a pair of heels, her black trench coat soon to follow before they left the house.

“Thank you,” Blake said softly, picking her coat out of the closet in preparation to leave soon. “Do you want breakfast? I can make it since I’m dressed.”

“Yeah, I’ll just be a second,” Yang said, fiddling with her hair, a hair tie in her hand. “Up or down?”

“Up. Your ponytail makes you look really mature,” Blake said, dropping a kiss on Yang’s cheek as she passed by. She was on a mission now: breakfast. She was thankful that Yang was a part of her life now, she kept her distracted from her usual nightmare of a life. Where every day was a dread, now she looked forward to every moment.

Blake spun into the kitchen, realising too late that she didn’t exactly have breakfast foods. She had fruit, cereal and bread. That was as far as breakfast went for her. She decided to improvise for Yang’s tastes.

There was a plain wheat cereal she ate, which could be mixed with honey and a tad of sugar to add some flavour. A few slices of banana and strawberry mixed in there for good measure. It would suffice for now, she would treat them both to lunch after the trial. Possibly with the promise of some heavy booze to make her forget the ordeal.

Her Faunus ear flicked, hearing the lock for the front door clicking. Leaving the cereal bowls where they were, Blake strolled back into the living room, stopping just short of the bedroom door. The front door was thrown open, a heeled boot stepping through.

“Hi, hunny!”

“ _Mom_...” Blake sighed quietly, relieved that it wasn’t anyone other than her parents.

The bedroom door opened beside her, Yang walked out backwards, her hands still fiddling with the hem of her shirt and the buttons of her trousers. “Baby, can you-“

In a panic from having seen the barest hint of Yangs shorts under her open trousers, she pushed her back into the room, quickly following behind her and closing the door over. 

“What was that for?!” Yang hissed, confusion written all over there face.

“I’m sorry, I panicked! My parents just came in!”

Yang’s jaw dropped, sighing in relief as she zipped up her trousers once more and fiddled with the button. Blake half smiled, watching her nervously struggle with her belt. Having mercy on her, she came to the rescue, helping guide the leather through her belt loops and buckling it at the front.

She gently patted Yang’s hip as she finished up, looking up to share a gentle smile between the two of them. Yang leaned forward to press a kiss to Blake’s lips, something that sent her flying and that she could feel in her very soul.

“You’re gonna be okay, no matter what happens today,” Yang said, so confidently that Blake almost fooled herself into believing it. She replied with a short hum and a smile. “Tell me what you’re gonna be after today?”

Blake couldn’t help but smile at how ridiculous she was. “I’m gonna be alright... because I have you in my life now.”

Yang paused, flabbergasted. “I wasn’t prepared for you to say that.”

“ _I_ wasn’t prepared for what _you_ said either,” Blake chuckled, grabbing Yang’s hand as she took a step backwards. “Want to come meet my parents?”

Yang nodded, biting her tongue between her teeth as she did so.

Stepping out into the living room, Yang gripped her hand a little tighter, nerves kicking in. Blake could understand that, she would have a panic attack if she has an impromptu meeting with her girlfriends parents.

Kali smiled gleefully, whilst Ghira held a neutral expression beside her. It was to be expected.

“Yang! It’s so nice to meet you in person,” Kali said gleefully, crossing the room to envelope Yang in a hug, her arms squeezing her, an evil glint in her eye. Clearly, Yang took that as some sort of warning sign, but she somehow held her own and hugged Kali back.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Mrs Belladonna,” Yang said, smiling as Kali pulled away from her. Blake breathed a sigh of relief when Kali looked strangely impressed.

“Please, call me Kali,” she insisted, lingering as she shook Yang’s hand.

Yang nervously looked to Blake, gesturing secretly to her dad, who was stood near the sofa, hands braced atop it, his suit jacket tight around this chest. Blake nodded and took Yang’s hands, pulling her over to where her dad was stood.

The blonde cleared her throat, sighing quickly to regain her composure. Blake had to admit, she would be intimidated by the sheer height of her father too. Yang stuck her hand out, smiling politely. “It’s nice to meet you sir.”

Ghira’s expression cracked, a smile breaking through. He accepted the gesture and shook her hand, eyebrows raised at how she could keep a steady grip under the strength of his own. His lip jutted out, nodding his approval. There was no comparison to the relief that spread over Yang.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Yang,” he said, retracting his hand and sticking it into his pocket. Yang nodded, doing the same as she retreated to Blake’s side, nerves getting the best of she. “It was nice of you to come today.”

“Oh, of course,” Yang said, nodding as though not was the simplest answer in the world. In reality, it wasn’t so common for someone’s partner (of not even a month) to come with them to a court date regarding their ex. Actually, it sounded insane when said out loud to Blake refrained from it. “I wasn’t gonna let her go alone.” Yang smiled and gently squeezed Blake’s shoulder.

Kali and Ghira smiled warmly.

“Can you do something for me?” Blake asked, half turning her head towards Yang. The blonde hummed, leaning onto the balls of her feet in preparation to move around. “Can you bring our breakfast in from the kitchen, please.”

“‘Course,” Yang said, gently squeezing Blake’s shoulder again. Blake giggled, she knew that Yang wanted to kiss her, yet couldn’t because her parents were standing less then three feet away from them. “Do you both want me to bring anything in for you? A drink or something?”

Kali and Ghira both shook their heads, muttering small ‘no thanks’ to her. Yang nodded, bouncing on her feet and squeezing Blake’s shoulder again, still fighting that urge. This time, Blake actually laughed aloud and watched as her girlfriend sheepishly walked off into the kitchen. She looked back to her parents, voice lowered to a whisper. “What do you-“

“I like her,” Kali said quickly, nodding her head, both thumbs stuck up in approval. Ghira nodded. “If you somehow break up with her, we’re cutting you off from dating,” Ghira added.

Blake hummed, approving. This had gone better than expected, she thought. It was just the rest of the day she was worried about. 

* * *

Yang wouldn’t leave Blake’s side the entire way there. She didn’t know whether or not Blake’s parents admired or abhorred it but she swore she would be there for her. Despite her tan trench coat, it was still freezing. The same could be said for Blake, who coincidentally wore the same coat in black. The only exception was that she was smart enough to wear a scarf today. 

She kept her hand on the small of Blake’s back, protective in nature. The only lucky thing today was that the courthouse was empty, so no one would recognise her. It was one less headache for the week. Blake seemed to enjoy the small touch, though. Leaning back into her hand every now and then. 

They were waiting for Blakes lawyer to arrive before they entered the courtroom. Yang had no clue if Adam was already in there, but honestly, she couldn’t wait to see him. That stupid smug grin just wiped clean off of his face when she wins this today. 

“You okay?” Yang asked, a hand falling to Blake’s knee as she addressed her. Blake nodded, her glasses settled elegantly on her face. She snuggled closer to Yang and took hold of her hand, holding it up to her chest. Her heart was beating like a drum, a concert exploding beneath her palm.

“Your heart’s beating so fast...” Yang chuckled nervously, biting her lip to stop her from laughing at Blake’s equally anxious laugh. 

“Yang?”

She snapped her head up to the hallway, watching as a woman with a dark pinstripe suit, her hair tied back and her bangs still swooshing over her face. 

“Robyn?” Yang said, slightly confused. It clicked that Robyn was Blake’s lawyer, a few seconds later than it should have. “You’re Blake’s lawyer?”

“Evidently, _yes_.”

“Already pulling out evidence? A little hasty, maybe you’re not a great lawyer-“

“ _Yang_ ,” Blake groaned, standing up and straightening out her skirt. “I didn’t know you both knew each other.”

“Yeah, she mooches off of our family dinners-“

“Excuse you, I get invited by Qrow.”

“Qrow doesn’t even get invited, he just shows up,” Yang sighed, rolling her eyes. Blake blinked a few times, seeming utterly confused by this whole ordeal. Robyn grinned and flicked a finger gun at Yang, clicking her tongue. “Sounds like Qrow hasn’t changed a bit...” Kali mumbled, smiling fondly.

“Alright,” Robyn clapped her hands together before pulling open the door. “Shall we get this over with?”

Blake nodded, taking a breath before marching forward. Yang followed behind her like a puppy, squeezing her hand reassuringly. Truth be told, she had never been in a courthouse before but she knew enough from movies to know what to do. But sitting next to Blake’s parents, feeling hundreds of miles away, felt a lot different than just the idea of it.

Her knee began to bounce, watching as Blake was being briefed by Robyn. She didn’t know what they were saying, could barely hear past her own thoughts. Maybe she shouldn’t have came... she didn’t want to make anyone else anxious.

“Stop worrying so much,” Kali whispered, gently grabbing Yang’s knee and squeezing it reassuringly. “She’ll be fine.”

Yang nodded quickly, not daring to speak. It was definitely not what she expected. There was a romanticised version of how this would play out in her head. That she and Blake would walk in here to see Adam trembling, cowering in fear. Yang would flip him off and they would go about their day without him.

Instead, she was met with a cold room. Old in its decor, hushed voices coming from various directions as people finally began to enter the room. It was unnerving, for sure. Unlike what she had imagined in her head.

The scariest part, was when Adam walked into the room with his lawyer. He didn’t seem at all nervous, confident in his movements. His dark sunglasses covered his eyes but not quite the scar on his face, a deep red burn mark that hadn’t seemed to have faded over time. Yang chortled, pleased that Blake had got one up on him. His lawyer’s tail swished behind him, a familiar face that Yang couldn’t quite place.

Blake sat in her chair, eyes swaying slightly atop her head, fighting the urge to pin back in fear. Yang was familiar with the look. Hadn’t spent a lot of time with the girl, but enough that she recognised that look. Although it was in a less fun context than she got spooked during a horror movie, because this wasn’t fiction.

In all honesty... Yang didn’t really understand what was happening. But as the judge waffled on, she could only imagine how Blake was feeling. Heart pounding. Dread. Anxious thoughts of what was about to happen. Or maybe she was just projecting. Either that or Kali was right and she was just worrying way too much.

“Miss Belladonna,” the judge growled, an almost bored look on his face. “Could you please present the evidence of abuse.”

Blake stood, hands shaking slightly but she gripped the table, taking on an air of confidence. Robyn stood with her, a hand on her back supportively as she opened up a beige file on the table. It was then passed over to a woman who swiftly delivered it to the judge. His eyes roved over the papers in his hand, features stern.

“Do you think there’s enough evidence..?” Yang whispered, half turned towards Kali.

“There should be more than enough evidence,” Kali said, sighing.

“Miss Belladonna, could you please explain the evidence provided.”

Another squeeze of the table from Blake. Out of the corner of Yang’s eye, she noticed Adam watching her, hidden behind his sunglasses. She ignored him.

“In the file there is medical records of multiple wounds sustained from Adam. There are photographs of bruises and a stab wound on my left hip, also caused by Adam. As well as printed screenshots of text messages of threats from him.” She finished with a blow of breath, ears finally daring to pin back and relax.

“I see...” The judge nodded slowly, gaze switching over to Adam. “Do you have a rebuttal?”

“I do, your honour,” Adam said confidently. “I admit, I was wrong in the past for what I did.”

That. The admittance was unnerving, to say the least, especially with what Blake had told Yang.

“But, I’m not in Blake’s life anymore. We live and work in completely different parts of Vale.”

That seemed to peak the judges interest. He sat back in his seat, intrigued. “Where is your place of residence?” 

“I live in Devland Village, on the west side of Vale. Plus I work from home now,” Adam said, practically smiling like a giddy child now that the judge was on his side. “I have bank statements and various letters to prove it.”

Like before, the documents were brought to the judge, his eyebrow flicked upwards and nodding.

“And you, Miss Belladonna?”

“I still live in the Bree Estate near Beacon University and I work at an office in the city centre, but-“

“Miss Belladonna, I’m sorry, but with what Mr Taurus has just proven, I can’t agree to extend the order.”

“But-“

“Has Mr Taurus tried to contact you at all in the last two years?”

There was a deafening silence, Yang able to hear her own breathing within the room.

“No... no he hasn’t, _but_ -“

“Well, considering the facts: Mr Taurus lives on the other side of Vale, he has expressed no interest of contacting you further, _and_ he works from home.” The judge sighed. “To be quite frank Miss Belladonna, there is no need for a further extension on your restraining order.”

Robyn let out a huff of a laugh, displeased and shocked by the result. “Your honour, my client deserves an extension on her order. As evidenced, Mr Taurus _has_ displayed obsessive and dangerous behaviour-“

“Which he has repented for,” Adam’s lawyer spoke, a smug lilt to his voice. “My client has spent time in therapy, learning from his mistakes, and does not desire to repeat them.”

Robyn scrunched up her nose, anger taking over. Clearly, she wanted to stay professional, retain the integrity of what she was fighting for. But it seemed this time she was fighting a losing battle, a battle that was leaving Blake trembling where she stood. Watching from afar, somehow hurt more. Because Yang couldn’t do a thing about it...

“I am denying your request for an extension on your restraining order, as evidenced by Mr Taurus, that there is no risk of abuse. Court is adjourned, thank you for your time.” The hammer slammed.

* * *

“Fucking Albain’s!” Robyn yelled, throwing the door open as she stormed out. Yang caught it behind her, holding it open for Blake and her family to walk through. “Blake, I’m so sorry-“

“It’s fine, don’t worry,” Blake says, gripping her forearms as she leaned against the wall of the courthouse, eyes fluttering closed. She still hadn’t fully processed what had just happened. After everything, all of that pain, he got away with it. He wasn’t fucking punished. “I’ll just need to be careful.”

“I-... well, _alright_...” Robyn awkwardly scratched at her neck, pulling up the collar of her jacket to protect herself from the cold. “Call me if you need anything, and Yang, I’ll see you at the next family dinner,” she said with a wink, saluting them as she walked off. 

Blake’s eyes stayed shut, ears pinned and not knowing at all what to do. She just wanted to lie down for a while and forget what had just happened. Just wanted some semblance of normality for once. For a while, she got that in the form of Yang and work. But then again, this was inevitable, wasn’t it?

There was a safe and familiar warmth when Yang hugged her shoulders, pulling her close to her chest. Blake snaked her hands under her tan jacket, sinking in and melting away. If it weren’t for the cold outside she would just stay there forever, being consoled by an eternal hug. 

“Blake, hunny,” Kali cooed, a pained expression on her face. “Why don’t we go home?”

Yang sighed into her hair, pressing a quick kiss to the top of Blake’s head. She gently grabbed Blake’s hands, pulling them around in front of them where it was remarkably colder. Her arm slipped around Blake’s waist, holding her close as they began to walk together. “Let’s go home Blake.” 

* * *

Home didn’t particularly feel homey. More like an inevitability for disaster. 

Yang had been more than helpful, making sure her parents were comfortable, getting them drinks and settling them into the apartment under the guise of a calm environment. But as soon as she stepped into the bedroom, her entire focus switched to Blake. 

It didn’t matter what it was, even the simplest task and Yang was helping her along. Putting clothes in the closet, bringing her something comfier to switch into. Which just so happened to be a pair of Yang’s shorts and one of her hoodies, a cute choice that Blake relished in. 

“Do you want me to do laundry?” Yang asked, eyebrows raised as she picked up the half filled basket of laundry in the closet. “I can get it all done tonight if you want.”

“No, it’s fine,” Blake said, smiling softly. Truly, even though it was so simple and really should be a given for two people in a relationship, yet it was to have that in her life. The blonde hummed and put the basket back down on the ground, loosening a few of the buttons on her shirt. “You look tired.”

“Tired of being so good looking.”

“What...” Blake narrowed her eyes and laughed, confused at whatever comeback that was supposed to be. “Should I ask my parents to go so that we can just go to bed?”

“No, we’ve gotta have dinner with them, embarrass myself a little,” Yang said as she shrugs, smiling as she lazily hugs back, tilting her weight onto her. “How are you feeling?”

“Better...” Blake hesitated. Wondering if she was about to come on too strong. “That’s just thanks to you though.”

“You know it’s gonna be okay, right? No one’s gonna let that asshole near you.”

“I know.” 

Blake sighed and leaned into Yang, who scooped her up off of the floor, holding her close. It was just... comfortable. To be held, loved and cradled like she was the only thing that mattered. Without hesitation, Blake dipped her head down on top of Yang’s breathing in the scent of lemongrass and letting it burn into her nostrils. 

“What’s our plans for tonight? Bath and a book like last night or..?” Yang asked as a soothing hand ran along the length of Blake’s spine.

“Yeah, I think a little fiction would help box out reality.”

“Totally, it’s there to comfort you, I can’t help but wish that it was real sometimes though.” Yang pressed a few gently kisses to the column of Blake’s throat, hugging her tighter. “You’re real though, right Blake?”

“Yeah,” she says, assured. “I’m real.”

“Cool... ‘cause you’re awesome... and I don’t know what I’d do without you now.”

Blake laughed, her head thrown back as she did so. “You’re _such a dork_.”

“I’m _your_ dork.”

“You are...” _and I love you for it._


	12. Chapter 12

The next week passed by without incident, which was strange to say the least. No phone calls, texts, not even any sudden appearances at work or her apartment. Adam was nowhere to be found. Maybe he had realised that he wasn’t entirely untouchable. Either way, Blake didn’t think it was a bad thing.

Blake was sat in one of the empty meeting rooms, still locked in a phone call with one of her sources, informing her of a new trend coming up on the market. It was... _extremely_ boring. Nothing could keep her interested at twelve in the afternoon, not even the prospect of everyone wearing large leather boots like herself was enough to grab her attention.

“Right... okay, thank you,” she says, holding her phone between her shoulder and ear as she jotted down a phone number on her notepad along with a few other notes. “Okay, talk later, bye!” She says cheerily, before letting out a less than relieved sigh.

“Rough call?” Weiss asks, gliding through the room and falling gracefully into the seat across from Blake.

“No, just very boring,” Blake chuckled, leaning back and massaging her temples lightly, eyes straining against the harsh fluorescent lights above them. She studied Weiss’ face for a moment, watching as she stared intensely at her phone, lips pursed. “Are you okay-“

“No. I stupidly agreed to let Ruby plan our engagement party as a surprise.”

“And that’s a problem because..?”

“Because, let’s be honest, _I am_ a control freak,” Weiss said, laughing dryly as she slapped her own chest to emphasise, braid swinging from side to side as she moved. Blake faked a gasp, hand over her mouth in false shock. “Really? We never knew!”

“That... _shut up_!” Weiss snapped, blushing. After befriending Weiss and becoming fairly close to her, Blake had learned that her bark could only be compared to that of a small dog once you really knew there was no ill intent behind it. Honestly, Weiss was just a teddy-bear on the inside. It was a shame very few people had the privilege of seeing that side of her.

“Have you got a date for it yet?” Blake asked, leaning on her hand as her focus switched from work to her friend.

Weiss nodded, half-smiling as she did so. “Yeah, we have it booked for the eighteenth of October.”

Blake did a mental check of that date, blinking a few times. That was the day before they went to Mistral for fashion week... she would be hungover boarding a plane... _fantastic_. All she could do was nod enthusiastically.

Behind Weiss, in the hallway, Yang had skidded to a halt and was grinning as she looked through the doorway. Without thinking, she walked into the room, bumping into the doorframe by accident but playing it off with a cool smile and a wave. Blake giggled. She wasn’t the smoothest, but she supposed that was a part of her charm.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Yang asked, flopping onto a chair next to Weiss. Weiss narrowed her eyes, moving everything away from Yang as a precaution. Blake couldn’t critique, she was guilty of doing the same thing a few times. Just last night she had gotten annoyed at Yang for accidentally smashing a plate after she had swiped her arm over the counter without thinking whilst they were talking.

“We’re talking about Weiss’ engagement party.”

“Oh yeah, Ruby was talking-“

“What did she say about it!” Weiss demanded, her hand slamming on the table.

“Well, for a start, it’s a _secret_ so-“

“You’re fired.”

“W-What?!” Yang laughed, albeit nervously however she was still laughing. “I came here to talk to Blake and I’m leaving without a job.”

“Shut up, I wouldn’t _actually_ fire you,” Weiss says, rolling her eyes fondly. She stood up straight and smoothed out her suit, a delicate shade of blue with white decals. It was very nice, almost matched her personality in a way. 

Blake supposed that Weiss’ entire vibe gave off a sort of cold and callous type of thing. It could be seen in her personality. Very calculative and cunning. Smart beyond comprehension, leaving her feeling like she was above the rest of the world, stuck in the icy plains of the sky where only clouds and shards of broken stars existed.

It was such a stark contrast to Ruby. Who was very much like a child or an excited puppy. However, a few times she had seen Ruby’s mean side slip through, which was much more scary than she cared to admit. Usually she was all sunshine and rainbows, happy to help and pleased to make your acquaintance. But the few times Blake had seen her snap... it was a like a possession of some sort. Like some sort of demon was let loose.

“Hey, Weiss,” Yang said, gently kicking the girl with her foot. “I’m gonna sound like a five-year-old, but how did you know that you loved Ruby, huh? Spill.”

Weiss furrowed her brow, eyes narrowing in suspicion. But an amused smirk bloomed across her features, like she had just discovered something. “Well, even when we first started dating and we had our first few arguments. Even though I was mad at her, I still absolutely adored her.”

“Aww, cute. You weren’t like that when we dated.”

“We didn’t date Yang, we just... _hooked up_.” Weiss cringed, eyes screwing shut. “Plus, I would’ve strangled you within a week.”

“More like a day...” Blake chimed in, gaining smirks from both parties.

“ _Anyways_ , I better be going now. See you both later!” Weiss sang, waving as she walked off, feet elegantly touching the ground. Blake didn’t judge how Weiss had, for some reason, decided to walk around the building in fluffy slippers today. She was sure that if anyone were to come in here and see that, they would have a heart attack. But she would do the same if she could get away with it.

Not missing a beat, Yang twisted in her seat, hands clasped together as she slid her arms across the table. Blake raised an eyebrow, questioning what this was all about. Yang replied with a gentle smile and a nervous blush, the very look that made Blake’s heart flip every single time. It was just... soft. So much softer than what she was used to. From her fluffy hair, to the cozy looking lilac hoodie, to the dimples on her cheeks.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” She asks, finally caving.

“Would you want to meet my family?”

Blake blinks a few times, thinking she had misheard Yang. Apparently not, she still held that expectant look as she awaited an answer.

“Doesn’t your dad live in Patch?”

“Yeah, but he’s visiting next weekend. He has a place here in Vale,” Yang said sheepishly, rubbing her neck. “It was for me and Ruby but we moved out. So now it’s just his holiday home.” Blake hummed, able to understand that to an extent. She couldn’t fathom why neither one of them would remain in that house but, no matter. “ _So,_ what do you say? Want to meet them?”

Blake bit her tongue and considered it for a moment. Recently, she had been a wreck. Emotions galore, everything was being flipped upside down over the slightest discrepancy. Unfortunately, Yang had been on the other end of some of those fits of yelling. Not that the blonde seemed to mind. Sure, she would get annoyed in return, she was only human, but it never got out of hand. Which was one of the many things Blake had come to love about her.

Then there was that matter. Everything about Yang, every smile, every flick of her hair, every breath, every moment. They all brought her dangerously close to that edge of saying something she would never be able to take back. And she didn’t know if either of them were willing to take that dive just yet. In her mind, Blake knew it could never be too soon for them. Like everything had fallen into place for the first time, and now the more she kept these feelings inside, the more they fought to burst out.

“Yeah,” Blake says calmly, like her heart is beating a mile a minute. “I’d love to.”

* * *

It was when Blake was overseeing a photo shoot that Sun was working on, him and another boy with obnoxiously blue hair both posing in beachwear for the camera, that she realised the weight of what would happen next weekend. 

Why, in her mind, did she think it would be a good idea to meet Yang’s family at a time like this? Either she would end up confessing right there in front of everyone and look like an idiot or she would snap at Yang for something minor and look like a psycho. Honestly, she couldn’t decide which was worse. 

“Watcha thinkin’ about Bakey Blakey,” Sun sang, tail swishing behind him as he walked over. The other boy he was modelling with came strolling behind him, effortlessly cool as he winked at her. “You’re staring so intensely.”

“It’s just... it doesn’t matter,” she dismisses, waving her hand as if to put the conversation behind her. “Why did you call me ‘Bakey’?”

“Because you went through that phase of being a super pothead-“

“Okay, screw you, you kept giving me pot.”

“You didn’t need to smoke it!” Sun laughed, scratching the back of his head. “You could’ve just... I don’t know, sold it.”

“Yes, I’ll become a drug dealer because you keep randomly handing me pot,” Blake groans, rolling her eyes at him. He could be so annoying at times. His stupidity exceeded her expectations every time. There had been times in their relationship where she had expected him to say something profound, to show that he actually knew her to some degree. He had yet to prove that to her.

Looking between both of them, making sure their conversation was over, the other boy politely stuck out his hand with a flick of his hair. “Hey, I’m Neptune,” he says with a cool smile on his face. Blake politely shakes his hand.

“Hey, that’s my friend man, be cool!” Sun reprimanded, jabbing an elbow into Neptune’s ribs. “Plus, she’s the one who’s dating Yang.”

“ _For real?!_ ”

“ _Dude_ , I just said be cool!-“

“Can you both shut up!” Blake snapped, eye twitching in annoyance. She could not, for the life of her, stand all of this dude-bro talk. It was enough when Yang and Coco did it, never mind these two. “Also _she_ is sitting right here.”

“Ah, s-sorry,” Sun said, wincing as he took a small step back. “So, what’s up? You looked like you were in a downer.”

She could not begin to tell him how many things were wrong. Now, after having not been granted an extension on her restraining order, she was rarely alone. Either seeking the comfort of Yang or Yang coming to protect her without being prompted. It wasn’t a stretch to say that they were basically living together. Which made everything that much more confusing.

“I’m just nervous.”

“Over?”

“Meeting Yang’s family.”

Both Sun and Neptune grinned widely, looking like total idiots as they did so. It actually made Blake laugh and blush in embarrassment at how excited they looked.

“Do you, like, need advice?” Neptune asked, looking smug as he looked between Sun and Blake, two thumbs pointed towards himself. “Because, I can _totally_ hand out some advice.”

Intrigued, Blake raised an eyebrow at Sun, silently asking if he was serious about this. The blonde shrugged, seeming to be equally confused. “Alright, Neptune,” Blake chuckles, folding her arms over her chest. “Let’s hear it.”

“Okay, so, first off: you want to woo her before you even meet her family.”

“‘ _Woo her_ ’?” Blake parroted, amused.

“Yeah, like wear something she’ll like and be super nice. Just butter her up before you even meet her family.”

_Oh_ , Blake thought, _this was hilarious_.

“Then when you’re meeting her family you want to make sure you’ve got a gift for them. Wine or something, maybe chocolates,” Neptune continues, stopping for a moment as he tries to think what comes next. “Then when you’re talking to them, just be yourself, right, but anytime there’s an opportunity to talk about Yang you take it.” He sighs, confidently standing up straight, hands in his hips. “And _that_ is the best way to win over Yang’s family.”

“And you’re still dating the person you used this method on?” Blake questioned, prodding further. She looked to Sun to share a laugh, but he was looking quite impressed now.

Neptune awkwardly coughed into his hand. “Well, _no_ , but the method does work. Me and Karen are still great friends.”

Sun laughed and threw an arm around his shoulders, tail swinging around Neptune’s waist as well. “Dude! You’re, like, a relationship master!”

That was _not_ true, Blake thought. Despite that overly long explanation, that was, without a doubt, completely useless to her. But it would make for a very amusing story to tell Yang. 

* * *

The next weekend rolled around, far too quickly.   


Two hours. They had _two hours_ to get dressed and arrive at Yangs dad’s house. And Blake still had no clue what to wear.

“Yang,” Blake called out, standing in her closet, aimlessly glancing around. The blonde stumbled through from the living room, her over shirt swaying, striped orange t-shirt beneath shifting. Blake took a moment to appreciate that she had bought her that shirt, specifically because the flame design on he back reminded her of Yang, and absolutely adored that she was wearing it tonight.

“You called?”

“I don’t know what to wear,” Blake sighs, dejectedly falling onto one of the soft stools she had sitting around. In disbelief and complete bewilderment, Yang quickly began scanning the racks. “Yang, don’t you dare ask how I don’t know what to wear.”

“What? No, I’m just looking so I can help you out,” Yang says, narrowing her eyes as she steps forward and picks out a black t-shirt, a long black cardigan following afterwards. “It doesn’t have to be anything too fancy, it’ll be really laidback tonight.”

“You think I can just wear that and jeans?”

“Blake, it’s exactly what I’m wearing except from I’m wearing a shirt and have a little bit of colour in my outfit.”

“I’ll wear blue jeans then, that has colour.”

“My uncle Qrow’s gonna love you,” Yang snickered, shaking her head as she collected the clothes from their hangers, leaving them dangling from the small rack indicating where the spare clothing hangers were to be hung. “I’m excited.”

“Yeah?” Blake asked, smiling as she took the clothes from Yang, spinning around as she began to get changed. 

“Yeah, ‘cause we’re... _y’know_.” There was an awkward pause and an audible gulp. Blake couldn’t see Yang in the mirror, too busy pulling up her jeans, but she caught the anxious reaction nonetheless. 

“You can say we’re dating Yang, I promise you’re not gonna burst into flames if you say it,” Blake chuckles, shaking her head. 

“I know! That isn’t what I was gonna say- actually, forget it.” Yang waves it off, cheeks flushed as she takes a few purposeful steps back. 

“No, what were you gonna say,” Blake insists, both hands on Yang’s chest, sliding up to her shoulders and around her neck. “You can tell me anything.”

“Just that...” 

Blake’s heart began to thud as she stared into Yang’s eyes. She could sense what she was about to say, could feel it. 

Yet... 

“Just that I’ve been looking forward to you meeting my family for a while now.”

...it never came. 

* * *

“Blake, can I ask you something?”

“Yeah.”

“Why did you bring a bottle of wine?” Her finger tapped off of the offending item, a small look of amusement on her face. “We have something to drink, don’t worry-“

“I’m being nice! It’s a nice thing to bring a gift, right?” Blake questioned, ears flicking back as a light blush spread across her cheeks. She was barely in the driveway and already getting flustered. This wouldn’t bode well for her, she assumed. Yang laughed aloud, her jeep coming to a halt, the engine switching off. She gripped Blake’s knee before leaning over to kiss her cheek, smiling against the skin. 

“It was really nice, but you didn’t have to do that,” Yang said, pulling back. She hopped out of the car, jogging around the other side to meet Blake, opening the door for her with a kind smile. Blake chuckled and took her hand, revelling in the way Yang held her closely. A part of her hoped that wine was nice enough... or maybe it wasn’t enough. 

The front door swung open before they even got a chance to knock, a tall blonde man standing in the doorway staring back at them. He grinned broadly, arms outstretched and a welcoming vibe exuding from him. Blake knew that he was, unmistakably, Yang’s father. “You came!” He yelled, a hand ruffling Yang’s hair whilst the other rested on his hip. 

Yang growled and slapped his hand away, pouting. “You knew we were coming!” She said, her hand casually sliding out of Blake’s and onto her hip, pulling her even closer. “This is Blake.” 

“ _The_ Blake?!”

“There’s no other Blake, but yes,” Yang conceded, going along with his strange joke.

Blake half smiled, nervously leaning closer to Yang for support. She reached out to shake Tai’s hand, trembling slightly, even though he was offering a delighted look in return for her presence. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“You too! Yang never shuts up about you, it’s embarrassing for her, really.” Yang scoffed in offence and slight embarrassment, a pink blush dusting her cheeks. Blake giggled, that anxiety seeking out slightly. She lifted the bottle of wine up, presenting it to Tai who stared furiously at it. The blonde man muttered a thank you and took the bottle, stirring it in his hands.

“Sorry, I thought it was polite to bring something-“

“No, no, it is! Thank you! I’ve just not had this brand in a long time,” he says, clearing his throat. Tai takes a step back, throwing his arm out to welcome them indoors. They both eagerly accepted, coming in from out in the cold. Blake made note of the small glance and smile exchanged back and forth between Yang and her father, taking that as a small win.

The house was nice. Undeniably old, though. Her only tell was because of the old fashioned decor, at least a decade out of date. From the hallway, to the living room, the walls were painted beige. The furniture a dark brown with a sort of shabby chic feel, a cabinet filled with fine china laid out, pristine. Everything was well kept, picture frames holding old family photos like they had just been taken. A home frozen in time, was all that Blake could describe it as. Yang didn’t dare turn her gaze to stop and gawk at anything, eyes fixed on the kitchen door.

“YANG!” Someone yelled from across the room, voice gruff and tired. “Where’s your sister?”

“Qrow, how the hell would I know, just call her,” Yang laughed. Qrow rolled his eyes, a soft smile on his lips as he walked over to hug Yang. He seemed nice, she had heard about him from Yang. About how Qrow and Tai were both professors at different academies respectively. Also, that he had always been the ‘fun’ uncle growing up, like how he snuck Yang and Ruby their first drink or how he would always randomly take them on vacation.

Qrow turned, reaching a hand out to Blake. “It’s nice to meet you, I’m Qrow.”

“You too, I’m Blake,” she shook his hand, deciding that if any time was right to be the height of manners, it was now.

He pulled away, holding a finger up as if to gesture them to wait as he walked out into the hallway. Yang sighed and turned towards Blake, hands sliding down her arms and gripping into her hands, her head dipping down onto Blake’s shoulder. She giggled at her girlfriends dramatics, like she meeting her family was a horrifying ordeal.

“They seem nice,” Blake said, eyes sliding closed as she tucked her face into Yang’s neck, relaxing. “You can really tell that you and your dad are related.”

“Literally everyone to ever meet us has said that.”

“Yeah, and it’s true,” Blake says, giggling as she places a few kisses along the length of Yangs jawline, before attempting to pull away. Yang, with a groan and a disgruntled look, pulled away. She began strolling around the kitchen with practiced movements, opening and closing cupboards, checking if dinner was ready. Had done this a million times over but none at all.

Blake’s hand skidded along the backs of the wooden chairs at the dining table. Admiring the cleanliness of everything, the fresh green paint on the walls, falling down to white and dark oak furniture. Nothing that quite fit together as a style, but enough to make it feel like home. Seconds later, Yang appeared beside her, pulling out a seat for Blake to sit on before following right alongside her.

Her hand slid along the back of Blake’s seat, tongue bit between her teeth as she gazed at Blake, eyes glazed over and breathing audibly faster. “Uh... so earlier, I was-“

“YANG!”

The door flew open, this time both Qrow AND Robyn (who came from god knows where) came marching into the room with the bottle of wine that Blake had brought. Robyn was cradling it in her arms, staggering slightly as she stopped but catching herself on the countertop. Qrow pointed, about to start speaking, but instead stopped himself to hide a burp behind his fist.

“Kid, how the hell did you know this was my favourite wine?” Robyn asked, snatching a random mug from the countertop before coming to sit at the table. Yang and Blake both shrugged, accepting this as it happened. There was really nothing they could do to stop it now.

Tai strolled in with Weiss and Ruby in tow, both of them being severely overdressed for the occasion, courtesy of Weiss, yet were here nonetheless. Blake just wished she could have heard what Yang was going to say to her.

* * *

“And then that time I had to bail you both out of jail?!” Robyn cackled, slapping her knee in hysterics. She looked towards Yang and Ruby, her thumb threw towards their uncle and father. “Honestly, when I walked in and was told they had got into a fight with Commissioner Ironwood, I almost _died_. Total plane crash of a situation.”

Blake chuckled, gingerly sipping at her drink. She wasn’t much in the get drunk and spill all of your secrets mood. Dinner was nice, the family banter was fun, but that’s all she really came for. Family was important to Yang, so it was important to her too.

But all she could think about, all night, even through Tai’s anecdotes, Qrow and Robyn’s drunken antics, even Weiss and Ruby talking about their engagement party- all she could think about was Yang. How it was genuinely killing her that she couldn’t just turn and tell Yang that she loved her.

Never, in all of her life, had she ever felt this way. It hurt. Like her lungs had swollen with flowers and greenery, expanding outwards until life began to grow within. Once dead shrubs now revitalised, still flourishing until its creature began to flutter in and out of each chamber of her heart, a temple long since abandoned now being revitalised. After being torn down so many times...

Idly, her hand slipped onto Yang’s knee under the table, tapping it a few times and giving it a deft squeeze. The blonde got the idea and reached down to put her hand over Blake’s, easily larger and crowding her bony fingers. Her hands were always so warm - Blake had once joked about the superstition of ‘warm hands, warm heart’ - she always melted whenever Yang touched her. It didn’t matter in what way or manner; Blake always turned into clay that she could mould in whatever way she liked.

“-reminded me of that time Yang almost burnt the guest house down when I tried to cut her hair,” Tai said, laughing lightly. Blake’s eyes snapped back up to the table, unaware of how transfixed she was on her and Yang’s hands clasped together.

The blonde pulled her hand back, humming as she stood up. “Before I forget, I wanna show you my old hangout spots in the guest house.” Yang held her hand out for Blake, instinctively sliding together as Blake stood and followed her blindly.

“Lame excuse,” Robyn said, Qrow laughing alongside her. Yang gestured for Blake to go out the door first, the blonde cheekily waving at her family as she began to close the door. “We all know you’re gonna go out there and-“ the door closed with a clink.

“A guest house, huh,” Blake laughed, letting Yang lead the way into what looked no more like a shed with windows, but was indeed what you could call a guest house. What with it’s bed, drawers and tiny tv on top of said drawers. A toilet door just to the left of them, a shower thrown in there too. Yang had stopped, just shy of the bottom of the bed, nervously tapping her fingers off of the bed frame. “What’re we doing out here, Yang?”

Yang sucked on her front teeth, eyes flitting from the bed frame - where her finger was scratching vigorously - up to meet Blake’s gaze. She shook her head and gave up entirely, dejected. “It’s nothing, it’s stupid,” Yang mumbled, gulping and setting her jaw even.

Blake raised an eyebrow, coming over to gently take Yang’s hand in support. “It’s not stupid, tell me what’s wrong-“

“I love you,” Yang said quickly, so fast that Blake was actually rather taken aback by it. Her heart rate sped up, sprinting ahead of her. Yang shook her head, embarrassed. “See? I told you it was stupid-“

“What? _No_ -“

“I’m sorry-“

“No, _Yang_ , it’s not-“

“I just look stupid-“

“Yang it’s not stupid-“

“Shouldn’t have said it, _you don’t_ -“

Blake rolled her eyes and gripped Yang’s face between her hands, forcing a kiss upon her lips, to shut her up more than anything else. Yang fumbled to find her waist, leaning more into their kiss once she got her bearings. “It’s not stupid... I love you too,” Blake murmured against her lips, thumbs rubbing circles on her cheeks.

“Blake, you don’t-“

“I do, because it’s true.”

“Yeah, but-“

“Yang, _please_ shut up,” Blake laughed her forehead dipping forward to lean against Yang’s. She laughed again, Yang joining in with her. Because it was funny, how three words that should be so simple changed everything. Yang made a point to never show herself as vulnerable, but for some reason, she laid down all of her defences for Blake. Opened up her heart, mind and soul, saying take it, this belongs to you now. 

And as hesitant as Blake was, she wanted to do the same. She wanted to give everything and take all she could get. A part of her thought that she still didn’t deserve this. Someone who, with their eyes closed, could tell you that you were beautiful. Complete blind devotion.

“Should we go?”

“Yeah, let’s go back inside,” Blake said, pursing her lips as she pulled away from Yang, still gently rubbing her cheeks. The blonde chuckled and leaned into one of her hands, a lopsided grin on her face.

“I meant go home, but that works too.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bee moment in episode 4... I’m wounded
> 
> Anyways thanks for reading and see y’all next time!


	13. Chapter 13

Over the last few months of knowing Blake, Yang could only assume that there was no end to her. This continuous being only measured in her longitude; immeasurable as it was. There seemed to be a constant flood of things that Yang discovered daily, either that or she was reading in to things too much.

But, in her lifetime, she had never felt this way about anyone else. Yang was completely head over heels, adored every part of Blake. She practically worshipped the ground she walked on at this rate.

She loved watching the little ways that Blake expressed herself, tiny twitches of her lips and the flare of her nostrils when something disgusted her. Soft clicks of her tongue as she searched around for something, she even had a little ritual before they ate dinner; cutlery organised, beverage of choice sat in the correct space, then the final soothing of her thumb over the edge of the plate before she began to eat.

There were so many other things, all of them making Yang smile like she had just won a medal. The blonde was sat in a white t-shirt with a brown flannel thrown over it, black trousers that sat snugly over her hips. She was just watching Blake as she went around the living room, again, looking over everything on the walls and shelves. Blake picked up the guitar that sat beside the bookshelf, smiling as she held it by the neck.

“Can you play this or is it just decoration?” Blake asked, cheekily throwing a knowing look over at Yang that told her she didn’t expect her to say yes to this.

Yang chuckled, not attempting to move from her cozy position on the sofa. “Yeah, I can play guitar.”

Blake’s ears perked up, skipping over with a smirk on her face. The blonde was forced to sit up, the guitar being thrown into her lap, a signal that she was about to be asked to do something. “Can you play something for me?”

“Depends,” Yang says, smirking as she knows she has no plans to set any terms or conditions: “what do I get out of this?”

“Me?”

“That’s quite a catch, I’m in,” Yang chuckled, sitting forward as she positioned the guitar in her lap. One hand slid along the neck to the tuning keys, whilst the other gently strummed as she tried to get it back in tune. Satisfied, she winked at Blake, a signal that she might actually play something now. In return, her girlfriend cuddled up beside her, ears pinned back, relaxed.

Mindlessly, she started to strum a tune, the first thing that came to mind. It was weird, Blake could just make her... do things. Like everything came from the heart. Maybe it was because she loved her... which was another thing she found strange. The phrase ‘in love’ she had always found odd, because you don’t get to be in anything else. Not in friendship, not in anger, not in hope. All you can be, is in love.

“Hey, are you okay?” Blake whispered, gently tugging at her flannel. Yang hummed and slowly stopped playing, tilting her head to the side and letting her hands relax now. “You had that look.”

Raising an eyebrow and chuckling, Yang scrunched up her nose playfully. “What look?”

“Like you were lost.”

“ _Oh_ ,” Yang laughed, something breathy through her nose. She sucked on her teeth as she lightly slapped her fingers off of the strings hanging just above the sound hole, her fingers dancing over the fretboard. “I was just... it’s stupid,” she says as she rolls her eyes. Blake had this way of turning her into a teenager again, so giddy and shy about everything.

“It’s not stupid, tell me,” Blake said, resting her head on Yang’s shoulder, dropping a few kisses along her neck.

“I was thinking about you,” she said, grinning sheepishly as she turned towards Blake. However, Blake rolled her eyes fondly, chuckling.

“Fine, don’t tell me then.”

Baffled, Yang blinked a few times. Unable to process what she had just said.

“You don’t believe me?”

“I mean... there’s not that much to think about me for you to get lost like that,” Blake chuckled, ears fighting to not pin back, to not show weakness. Instead, she took refuge in the corner of the sofa, so Yang couldn’t see her. The blonde raised both eyebrows, mouth slightly agape.

“That’s not true, I think about you all the time.” Blake blushed, as did Yang. “Is that weird?-“

“No, no, it’s... I’m just not used to it,” Blake confessed, biting her tongue between her teeth as she watched Yang.

Yang put the guitar down, pushing it into the other side of the sofa. She chuckled as she turned, crawling up onto the cushions, Blake laughing back at her and pressing her foot into her shoulder, slowing her approach. Eventually, Yang gave up, and instead grabbed Blake’s legs to drag her down closer instead of approaching her herself.

“ _I hate you!_ ” Blake laughed, slapping Yang’s arm. Yang smiled and laid down on top of her, gently wrapping her arms around her. Drawing a shaky breath, regaining her composure, she let out another laugh, followed by a kiss to Blake’s cheek.

“You don’t _hate_ me,” Yang said, voice carrying to Blake’s ear, just centimetres away from her lips. No need to talk at normal volume, whispers were all that were needed, anything more would send the world crashing down. “Also, get used to me thinking about you all the time... because I can’t stop.”

Blake chuckles, hand tracing down the seam on the centre of Yang’s shirt, right down her spine. “Sounds like obsession.”

“I prefer the term infatuation.”

“And I’d prefer if you got off of me, we’ve got your sisters engagement party-“

“Oh, for fuck sake,” Yang cackled, sitting back on her knees as she looked down at Blake, who held an amused look on her face. “It’s hours away.”

“It takes hours for perfection,” Blake remarked, shrugging as she self-consciously lifts her arms to cover herself. Yang had never understood why she did that, in the few months that they had been together. She gently grabbed Blake’s wrists, waiting for their eyes to connect, for that permission to be there. Gently, she slid her arms away from her, above her head.

It left her exposed. A blank canvas to paint and mark, although painted over, it’s previous scars still clear. A sharp ‘x’ shape peaking out from under her hoodie, a chapter of her life written and thrown away. Unneeded. Blake gulped, probably now realising that Yang could see right through her. Little did she know, there was no malice or analysing in her gaze, only admiration for an under appreciated work of art.

“You know you’re already perfect, right?”

“Shut up.”

“You shut up!” Yang pouted, loosening her grip on Blake’s wrists until she brought her hands back completely, gently trailing down her arms, tickling her skin, before returning to her sides. Blake made no move to correct herself. “I’m serious though, you’re amazing no matter what way I look at you...”

“Yang... stop, I’m serious.”

“What’s wrong with-“

The door rattled a few times, something banging against it at the other side.

“XIAO LONG, I’VE GOT YOUR PACKAGE AGAIN!” An old shaky voice yelled, followed by more loud knocks. Yang groaned, sliding off of the sofa and jogging to the front door, swinging it open before the old hag broke it down completely.

“Thank you Maria-“

“You’re welcome, now, where’s this girlfriend of yours?” Maria asked, letting herself inside, the package pressed into Yang’s chest and her walking stick clacking off of the floor. Yang was... _baffled_. Maria was always a handful, so this would be no different. She had a suspicion that Maria had been nosing around to find out who Yang’s new girlfriend was.

Quickly, Yang recovered and threw the door shut, sprinting to follow Maria along the hallway. Although it seemed like it was already too late, the old woman had plopped herself next to Blake on the sofa, gaining an uncomfortable look from the faunus.

“Yang! You should’ve mentioned that your girlfriend was too good for you-“

“Thank you Maria,” Yang said dryly, rolling her eyes. She flashed Blake an apologetic smile, but she got the feeling that Blake didn’t care too much. Blake was sat in the same position as before, the uncomfortable expression replaced with an amused grin.

“What makes you think I’m too good for Yang? What if it’s the other way around?” Blake asked, Maria spinning with an opinion on her tongue.

“Well, you’re much more attractive than her, probably more educated - not that it would be hard.”

“Excuse you!” Yang growled.

“What? You’re not the sharpest tool in the shed.” Maria stood up, her cane clacking off of the ground. She muttered, “You _are_ a tool though.”

“ _Okay_ -“

“I’m leaving, Xiao Long. Don't strain yourself.” Maria hobbled past her, back towards the doorway after her brief introduction. An odd way to start their day. The door clicked shut again, Yang hurrying to lock it before Maria changed her mind and decided to return to annoy them further. Taking a moment to take a breath, Yang strolled back into the living room, falling back into her previous place on the sofa.

“Sorry, she’s crazy,” Yang chuckled, swirling a finger beside her temple.

Blake smiled and simply replied, “It’s fine.”

Biting her tongue, Yang nervously shuffled her feet on the sofa, rolling her ankle a few times until a popping sound could be heard. She wasn’t entirely sure what she had said, but Blake seemed... off. Like she had taken a step too far in one direction or another, so much so that she didn’t really know where to go from here.

“Did... did I say something?” Yang asked quietly, studying Blake’s features.

Her ears twisted back, a sort of guilty expression easing onto Blake’s face. Had she done something? Had Blake done something? A knot began to form and tighten in Yang’s chest, dropping to the pit of her stomach and just laying there. Uncomfortable anxiety washing over her.

“I’m sorry, what-“

“You’re fine Yang, I’m just... in my own head right now,” Blake said, shaking her head and reaching over to grab Yang’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I promise.”

“Okay... you can talk to me if you need to, you know that.” Yang knew that she knew that. Blake never really hesitated to tell her anything. Gods, they had some of the most gross conversations and Blake hadn’t bat an eyelid before. What makes this different?

“I’ve gotta swing by my place to pick up my dress for tonight,” Blake said, more to herself than anyone else as she checked the time on her phone. The blonde nodded, a decision already made up in her mind.

“I’ll come with you.”

Blake’s ears perked up, apparently she hadn’t expected that response. Which was craziness to Yang. Maybe they were that different after all. Or maybe they were too alike that it was difficult to find a difference. All that Yang knew, was that she felt they were two sides of the same coin. When one goes up the other goes down, falling both ways yet grasping out to grab each other in the middle, locked in the abyss. An infinite blissful abyss of their own creation.

Blake had that look on her face. Brows twisted and lips pursed, her eyes intensely focused on a ghost dancing around the room, one that Yang couldn’t quite see but could feel from the intensity of her girlfriends gaze. Yang reached across, gently grasping her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze, similar to how Blake had done before her.

“Hey, I’m here for you, okay?” Yang said, smiling softly. “If there’s something wrong, you can tell me.”

“I know, I’m just... spaced out. I’m sorry,” Blake said, shuffling over to rest her head on Yang’s shoulder. Yang turned to the side, wrapping her arms around Blake’s waist, resting her head against Blake’s.

She knew there was more going on with her girlfriend than she let on, but if she needed time to open up, that was fine. 

* * *

Blake wasn’t exactly _thrilled_ about having to go home to pick up an outfit for that night. To be fair, Yang had offered multiple times to buy her something new to wear but she wasn’t letting her girlfriend spend another cent on her. She had practically been living with Yang for over a month now, she wasn’t about to leech anything else off of her.

She hated that feeling, too. That they were moving too fast. Blake knew the negative stereotypes, that sapphics moved too fast in their relationships. U-haul lesbians being a nasty thing she had heard before from people close to her, who were now, decidedly, not a part of her life. 

They had dated for a little over three months, the most blissful time Blake had had in years to be honest. It was amazing. The whole waking up to someone who loves you thing. She never wanted to get out of bed the morning, always delighted if she glanced over at her alarm and was able to cuddle up to Yang for an extra few minutes.

But she was just afraid. Scared that they were moving too fast and that Yang would get bored of her. She had one rule, no more heartbreak. It just so happened that she had got unlucky the first time around and didn’t want a repeat of that at all. Never again. She didn’t care if that would be her first and last relationship, she just... couldn’t go through that again. 

Don’t get her wrong, she did love Yang. Was so in love with her that she couldn’t tell her the extent of those feelings at the risk of scaring her away. Instead she locked them away in a little box, keeping them inside so that when the time comes, months, maybe years down the line, she would unlock it and reveal everything to Yang. Blake didn’t know if the box would overflow by that point. 

“I can’t wait to match my outfit with yours...” Yang said, a happy smile on her face, half turning her head towards Blake before snapping her gaze back to the road. 

Then there was moments like this, that are made to make Blake feel like she didn’t have to worry about anything. Like nothing had happened and now she could just go about her life knowing that she would be with Yang for as long as she’d have her, safe with the thought that nothing bad could happen. But that was just the romanticised version of reality she had created in her head. 

“You can help me pick out something to wear,” Blake said, the suggestion being more something to comfort herself than anything else. Yang hummed and smiled softly, reaching over to gently squeeze Blake’s knee. “Are we getting Ruby and Weiss a gift?”

“Uh, I was just gonna give them a bottle of this rose champagne that they like.” Yang smiled sheepishly, nervously tapping her thumb on the steering wheel. “I was planning on just picking it up on the way there... we can get them something if you-“

“No, I was just asking in case I should buy something for them.”

“Nah, we’re good,” Yang said. Blake hummed and settled back into her seat. Quietly observing the world whizz by as they drove on. She was still worried about their relationship. Yang wasn’t exactly your everyday fling nor the type of girl you could just get. She was a model, practically royalty amongst the masses. It wasn’t as if Blake was enough for her, or anyone for that matter.

The car pulled up in front of Blake’s apartment complex, the sidewalk empty as usual, devoid of any vehicle for some odd reason. Blake sighed and undid her seatbelt, reaching for the car door only to find that when she pulled the handle, the door wouldn’t open. 

“Baby, you didn’t unlock the doors,” Blake said, turning towards Yang, her voice laced with confusion. One of Yang’s hands were on the dashboard whilst the other was white knuckling the steering wheel, staring out of the window. “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.”

Coming out of the apartment complex, fixing his suit jacket and slicking back his hideous red hair, was Adam. Which would mean that Adam was upstairs at her apartment. Blake sighed, already growing tired of these antics. She had things to deal with other than him.

“Can you unlock the door please?”

“Should we call the cops?”

“Yang, unlock the door-“

Yang abruptly threw her door open, stepping down into the curb before locking Blake back inside of the car. Blake groaned, shaking her head as she watched the blonde walk out into sight, Adam spotting her immediately, his gaze now fixated on her. He began walking towards Yang, eyes flicking up to where Blake was still sat in the jeep, his brows furrowing for a moment.

“Is there a problem-“

“Why’re you here?” Yang asked, her palm resting comfortably on the hood of the car. Again, Adam lowered his eyebrows in confusion. Not quite knowing how to react to this situation. A prize for him that was so close yet so far away, unattainable, having to currently walk through fire to even get a glance at her.

“I was here to see Blake... just to talk,” He snarled, trying to size himself up to Yang’s height, barely an inch taller than her. Yang hummed but remained unwavering in front of him, taking her hand off of the car to stand up straight and puff out her chest, a competition between who was stronger now.

“You’re not talking to her.”

“And why’s that?”

“Because you’re leaving,” Yang growled, nodding towards somewhere down the street. Adam’s cocky smirk dropped. His face morphing into something sinister in its calmness. Still, Yang remained facing against him, making sure that he wouldn’t think twice about trying to go around her.

“You’re not serious-“

“I’m dead serious,” Yang growled again, throwing her arm out to gesture to the rest of the street again. “ _Go_. Before I call the cops.”

Shaking his head, Adam gave one final glance up at Blake. And despite his eyes being an empty ocean, she could see a fire rising from the rage within, furious that he had been denied this chance to get to her. He smoothly slid his hands into his trouser pockets, walking off down the sidewalk.

Yang waited, watching until he was a good bit away and rounding a corner, until she unlocked the car door.

Blake immediately, threw the door open, slamming it shut behind her.

“Are you-“ 

Blake brushed past Yang, ears pinned back as she did so. “I can’t believe you.”

Quickly, Blake dashed up the stairs, knowing that despite her frosty comment, Yang would still follow behind her. She felt bad about it, of course, but she still was angry about what the blonde had just did. 

Of course, she knew that Yang was protective. She was going to jump in there like a knight in shining armour for Blake. But she didn’t want her to do that. There was absolutely no reason for Yang to put herself in the line of fire for her, no need to risk herself for her. Blake pulled her keys out to unlock the door, only to find it already open. 

Blake groaned and rested her forehead against the door, tears beginning to well up and pool at the edges of her eyes. She took in a shaky inhale and choked back a sob. She had other things to deal with... and he had to always come along and make it complicated for her. 

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Yang asked, placing a gentle hand on her lower back and another on her shoulder. Blake stood up straight and shook her head, pushing the door open and withdrawing the key. The blonde followed behind her, again, closing the door. “Blake, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, just leave it.” She took off into the bedroom, wanting to grab something to wear and leave. The fact that the door was opened meant that Adam had been here, and that was more than enough to freak her out. “Come help me pick something out.”

“I... alright,” Yang said, rubbing her neck as she stalked into the closet behind Blake. 

The blonde stood with her hands on her hips, watching as Blake quickly flicked through the rack of dresses, snatching a few into her hand and holding them up against herself. She sniffled and licked her lips, eyes flicking back and forget between Yang and the dresses. 

“Okay... which one are you thinking?” Blake asked, smoothing out the black dress at the front. Yang bit her tongue, staring at her for a moment, a seemingly blank look on her face. “If you don’t like any of them just say-“

“What? _No_ -“

She didn’t wait for Yang to finish talking, she turned, and with shaky hands, attempted to return the dresses to the rack. 

“Blake, stop.” A hand landed on her waist whilst the other appeared to put the dresses back for her, before gently taking her hand. “Baby, just _stop_ for a second.”

She couldn’t hold it anymore, the tears began to flow. Her ears pinned back and jaw clenched as she continued to choke back sobs. Yang held her hands, guiding her back into the bedroom to sit down on the bed, the mattress dipping under their weight. 

“Tell me what’s going on,” Yang begged, pushing Blake’s hair behind her ear and out of her face.

“B-But, there’s _so much_ going on right now a-a-and that fucking _asshole_ always has to turn up and complicate things,” Blake cried, wiping her eyes with her thumb and fore finger.

Even when they were together, Adam always found a way to complicate things for her. No matter it be her social life, her job, even their love life at the time. He liked to pick at everything. As though it were a scab not fully healed, wanting to make sure she suffered for as long as he enjoyed it.

“You’re okay, Blake, I’m not gonna let him-“

“That’s another thing,” she said, sitting up straight with a sniffle. Blake’s ears pinned back again, hostile as her eyes narrowed. “I don’t need you to defend me like that and I don’t want you to end up one of his targets.”

“It’s not like he’s gonna pull out a gun-“

“He might, we don’t know that!” Blake yelled, looking at Yang incredulously. “And don’t fucking lock me in the car like I’m some trophy girlfriend who can’t do a thing for herself and you need to step in for me.”

“That’s... no, you’re right. I shouldn’t have did that.” Yang scratched her head, frowning as she looked down at her hands. Blake gulped, wiping her tear streaked cheeks again, face reddening from her upset. The blonde sighed and sat upright, taking Blake’s hands in her own. “You’re not... you’re not a trophy girlfriend- or any bullshit thing like that. A-And I’m sorry if I’ve made you feel like that.”

“No it’s just... little things that annoy me.”

“Like what?”

“Like... it’s like you don’t want to be seen in public with me,” Blake admitted, pressing her hand into her own chest as though to emphasise her point. 

Yang shook her head, leaning over to gently kiss Blake’s cheek. She nuzzled her with her nose, kissing her again and again, a small act of reassurance. “Blake that’s not because I don’t _want_ to be seen with you, it’s because I don’t want you to be annoyed by anyone asking if you’re my girlfriend-“

“But, Yang, that’s what I’m talking about,” Blake sighed, pushing her face away. “I _don’t_ _want_ you to protect me like that.”

Nodding, Yang just accepted that and said no more. The blonde stood and walked into the closet again, slowly picking out one of the dresses that Blake had put back onto the rack. A deep purple blazer dress, with a glittery collar. 

“You don’t need to go tonight if you don’t feel up to it, but if you want to I think this would look really good on you...” Yang mumbled, Blake barely picking up the sound. “Uh, y-you would look good in anything though...”

Blake nodded. She knew that Yang loved her... but maybe this was just what she did. Pushed people away because she doubted everything. It became too much. 

“I don’t know, I...” Blake sighed. “I’m gonna pack for the trip tomorrow, so you can go back to your apartment if you want to.”

“Right...” Yang frowned and set the dress out on the bed, smoothed it out, an attempt to buy herself time before she had to leave. Alone. “I’ll call you soon then, okay?” Blake nodded in response, letting Yang press a gentle kiss to her lips.

And even though Blake had told her to leave, she had never been so sad to see the back of a person in her life.  


* * *

Yang didn’t know what the fuck had happened earlier that night, but all she knew now was that she was at her sister’s engagement party, standing by the bar, alone. 

She tapped her thumb off of her beer, brooding. A part of her cursed herself for not being there for Blake sooner, this morning, perhaps, would’ve been a good time to push and see what was wrong. But she supposed Adam was the breaking point. Always the driving force behind Blake’s sour mood.

That wasn’t true, he wasn’t entirely to blame. Maybe she hadn’t considered Blake’s feelings about going public. But a part of her was still hoping she would turn up tonight. That her purple shirt and black, somewhat glittery waistcoat hadn’t gone to waste. 

She picked out her phone again. 

**[Yang: 21:44]**

Hey Blake, tried calling u earlier but thr was no ansr, how r u feeling?

She waited a minute, two, took a sip from her beer. The text was read but not answered. The chat bubble appearing for a second before Blake decided it was best to ignore Yang for the time being. The blonde sighed, dejected from being ignored, she drained her beer and spun around to order a whiskey, deciding that if this was how her night would be going, she might as well not remember it.

“Hey,” Coco called out, walking over with Jaune in tow to allow Pyrrha a moment to dance with Weiss. Yang drank from her glass, draining it again in two gulps and ordering another. “God, you might want to slow down.”

“It’s a party,” Yang said, grinning as she clinked her glass against Coco’a. 

Coco hummed before she ordered herself and Jaune a whiskey and took a sip, Jaune following suit but coughing once the alcohol burned his throat. “Where’s Blake? Getting ready for tomorrow?” Coco asked. 

“Yeah, she’s a workaholic...” Yang chuckled dryly, hoping that would pass as the truth. Jaune laughed and nodded as if he knew anything. “Love that woman, though...” she smiled sadly, her finger tracing the rim of her glass.

“You’re such a bad bullshitter, you know that, right?” Coco said, grinning as she tilted her head back to look at Yang, who chuckled and looked away. “What happened?”

“I... I don’t know,” Yang said, shaking her head. “I think that, in this weird way, she wants me to prove that I love her or something.”

“Vague... did you get a little overprotective?” Coco asked with a knowing smirk. Yang always hated how she knew everything before she had a chance to tell her. The blonde scratched her neck awkwardly.

“I didn’t even know I was doing it until she brought it up...” Yang confessed, taking another drink from her glass. She watched her sister laugh happily with Weiss, it was enough to keep her going for now. But Blake... it had only been three months, but Blake was her everything now. It was strange. “Do you think she’ll be alright with me on our work trip?”

“I don’t know, guess it’s a good thing you’re there for business and not pleasure,” Coco said dryly. Yang couldn’t say she entirely agreed with the cynical sentiment. 

She pulled her phone out again, finishing her drink before excusing herself and walking off into the hallway. Yang kept the phone pressed to her ear, listening to it ring, over and over. Just one reply, she knew it was needy. Made her come off as clingy and every other word in the book. But she just needed to know that Blake was okay.

“The person you are calling can not come to the phone right now, leave a message-“ Yang sighed and tapped the end-call button, her eyes fluttering shut as she pressed the phone against her forehead.

She didn’t want to sound like a child or like she was high maintenance at the first sign of a problem. But she wasn’t sure how she could prove anything to Blake either without putting her in danger of the... general public. A strange sentence, she knew. There was a lot of things that she could look into, but she knew that if she did her mind wouldn’t stop.

Overall, Yang didn’t want this to be what derailed their relationship. She could change little things, was willing to compromise for Blake. It wasn’t anything she had ever experienced before, and she didn’t want to give it up. She absolutely adored Blake and just wanted to help... but it was hard when she didn’t know how to.

“The person you are calling can not-“

“No answer?”

Yang’s head shot up, watching Blake walk towards her with a black purple clutched in her hands, hair tied back and wearing he dress that Yang had suggested earlier. The added bonus of a golden necklace dipping down, following the deep v-cut of the blazer dress. Her heels clicked off of the ground as she came closer, Yang still standing there like the tool that she so clearly was.

“Are you okay?” Yang asked, quickly stuffing her phone into her trouser pocket before gently running her hands down Blake’s arms. “Blake, I’m so sorry-“

“It’s fine, I’m okay,” Blake said, cupping her cheek. “Are you drunk?” She said with a hint of amusement.

“A little,” she admitted with a lopsided smile. Yang glanced over for a brief moment to see Qrow passing by to the bathroom, so she guided Blake over to the wall, a slight bit more privacy than the centre of the lobby, as dark as it was.

Yang turned back towards her, only to be met with Blake’s lips on hers, her delicate hand pawing at her jaw. Yang fumbled for a moment, chalking her sloppiness up to nerves and alcohol. But her hands found purchase in Blake’s waist, a hand travelling up and down her spine.

“I love you,” Yang whispered in between kisses, before pulling back just long enough to gaze into Blake’s eyes. “Please, if you need me to do anything-“

“It’s fine-“

“Yeah, but, come on, Blake,” Yang chuckled, swaying slightly but being steadied by Blake. “I’d do anything for you.”

“Yang...” Blake breathed, stroking Yang’s cheek lightly. “You’re drunk.”   


A pang of sadness shot through Yang. Blake still didn’t believe the extent she was willing to go to for her. She wished she could show her much she she card and loved her...

“Yang!” Qrow yelled as he passed by them for a second time, brows furrowed and hunched over as he walked. “Are you gonna come up for air? I mean it’s Ruby’s engagement party.”

“Yeah, yeah, give us a minute,” Yang said, cuddling Blake closer and waving him off. He rolled his eyes but walked back into the party nonetheless. 

“Come on, let’s go in,” Blake said, taking Yang’s hand and leaning in close to her. The blonde hummed and took Blake’s purse, a normal gesture for them that she knew her girlfriend appreciated. “I’ve got my car with me so I can drive us back to our place.”

“Good... I don’t know if I could sleep without you.”

“I don’t know if I’m gonna be able to sleep _with_ you, you’re such a bad snorer after you’ve been drinking.”

“Am I?”

“Very... at least we can just enjoy the flight to Mistral tomorrow.”

They both knew that was wishful thinking at best. That Yang would be hungover and grouchy about everything, and that Blake would no doubt be running around trying to get everything in order hours before they had to board their flight. Personally, they wouldn’t have it any other way. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SKRRY IT TOOK SO LONG, BUT IM BACK
> 
> I had exams and stuff so I had to focus but, here is the new chapter. I might have brainrot and Y’know just erratically upload chapters but it’s fine.
> 
> Also there may be typos whoopst


	14. Chapter 14

Many times Blake had reiterated the same point to; herself, her mother and Velvet over the phone, that waking up next to Yang was absolutely divine. They had _no_ idea how much she meant those words.

Leaning up on her arm, Blake reached over to switch off the alarm on her phone, shivering at the chilly air before retreating back to the warmth of Yang’s chest. The blonde still snored peacefully, cuddling into Blake with one arm and tucking her face into the back of her neck. Blake adored using Yang’s bicep as her own personal pillow, being plump with muscle but retaining a slight of pudge to keep her arm soft enough to lie on.

Yang stirred, mumbling something into her skin as she shifted around, ending up holding her tighter than she had before. Blake chuckled, amused at her sleepy antics, and rolled over to face her. Making sure to be gentle enough as not to wake Yang. Thankfully, it didn’t look like a bad dream, perhaps more of a confusing fantasy. Blake pulled the covers up further over them, shielding them from the cold as she slide her arms around Yang’s neck, pulling her close. Yang complied in her sleepy state, tucking her face into Blake’s neck as her arms hooked under Blake’s, strong hands splayed out across her back.

To tell the truth, Blake felt terrible. Not because she was ill or anything like that, but because of how she had been treating Yang. The woman adored her with every fibre of her being, spent majority of the day trying to either spend her time with or do things for Blake. She didn’t deserve to be pushed away but, well, she had never felt like this with anyone before. Which might sound cliche, but it was true. If someone looked up the phrase ‘head over heels’ they would see an image of Blake and Yang falling on their asses for each other.

Blake ducked her head down, gently kissing her forehead. She knew they still had a bunch of time before they would have to start getting ready for their flight, so she let herself relax, ears falling backwards in complete content. Yang hummed and seemed to be waking up, her nose nuzzling Blake’s collarbone as she gently pressed her fingers into Blake’s back.

“Morning,” Yang croaked, leaving a small trail of kisses where she could be bothered to place them. “Did you sleep okay?”

“Of course, I don’t think I could’ve slept better,” Blake says as she snakes her hands through Yang’s hair, fingers smoothing out tiny tugs in her hair. “How do you feel? Hungover?”

“Shitty, and, yes. You’re the only thing keeping me from vomiting right now,” Yang mumbled, shifting to allow Blake some room to breath without her groggy self being pressed up against her. “I’m not looking forward to getting on this plane...”

“Be grateful that Weiss is still letting you use her private jet after last night,” Blake chuckled, reaching over to grab her phone in order to check the time again. Weiss had allowed her friends who were going to Mistral to use her jet, which was actually rather untouched by Weiss on normal occasions. But last night... Yang may or may not have embarrassed herself and Jaune in front of their entire family and friends.

Giggling, Blake pulled up the video Weiss had sent to her, several laughing emojis following after it.

“Blake, _please_ don’t.”

“But it’s _so_ funny.”

Despite her complaints, Yang half turned to watch the video of herself and Jaune, attempting some sort of folk dance. It started off well enough, then when Jaune flicked his foot sideways his shoe flew off and smacked Yang in the face. Of course, she stumbled into an already flailing Jaune, both of them going on a prolonged tumble into the table that Weiss and her sister were sitting at. The camera panned over to a shocked Blake and Velvet whilst Coco chuckled evilly in the background.

“I’m sorry for throwing up last night when we got home,” Yang said as she decided to brave against the light coming in from the window across the room, her head throbbing. Blake chuckled at Yang, who was narrowing her eyes as she pushed herself up, using both arms as leverage. “Do we need to go to Mistral?”

“We do.”

“Well, Jaune’s going anyway so what if I used him as my lookalike-“ Blake began to laugh, throwing her head back into the pillow as she did so. Yang chuckled, her cheeks balling up. “I’m just saying! There’s other options which would mean that we could go and do something with just the two of us.”

“What would you want to do?” Blake asked, genuine curiosity seeping in. They hadn’t done all that much together yet apart from a few dinner and movie dates. Blake didn’t know what she wanted. She wanted to slow down, she wanted to do more; it was confusing. She confused herself. But some time in public taking even just a simple walk in a park would be nice.

“I don’t know,” Yang shrugged, moving to lean on her side. There was this thing that Yang did almost daily that Blake adored. They would be in the middle of a conversation, and Yang would start to get shy, so she would smile and let out a nervous little giggle whilst she rubbed her foot against whatever surface she may be on. Which she was doing now, and it made Blake smile like every other time. “I’d like if we could go to Menagerie...”

“Are you serious?” Blake asked, smiling wider when Yang gently took her hand, comparing their sizes before intertwining their fingers. “Why Menagerie?”

“Because I’ve never been and... you know, it’s your turf. You can show me around, maybe your parents would want to do something with us,” Yang chuckled and shrugged again. “I don’t know, I’m just saying ideas here.”

“Is that something you would actually want to do though?” Blake asked, raising an eyebrow. “I know I’m up for it, but I’d be happy to go to Patch or anywhere else if you wanted to.”

“I want to go to Menagerie. Ruby and Weiss said it was awesome and the added bonus is that you grew up there.” She smiled again and Blake couldn’t find it in herself to say no. 

“Alright, we can plan it once we get back from Mistral.”

“Cool... it’ll be fun.” Yang’s smile softened as well as her eyes, pools of lilac that Blake often got lost in, allowing herself to drown in her comforting gaze. But there was something about the way that Yang was looking at her that made her feel at home, like this was how it was always meant to be. She threw an arm over her face, embarrassed, realising what she really thought of Yang’s expression.

“Stop looking at me like that...” Blake chuckled, shaking her head. Yang’s smile cracked, looking rather confused from Blake’s words. She chuckled and reached over to try pry Blake’s arm away from over her eyes, leaning over further. “Like what?” Yang asked, gently squeezing Blake’s elbow to get her attention.

“Just... like _that_ ,” Blake chuckled, gently pushing Yang’s face away. The blonde laughed as well and pulled away, stumbling up onto her feet. She stretched her arms out, taking delicate steps across to her wardrobe. She turned and laughed when something popped that clearly shouldn’t have in her shoulder before going back to her business.

Blake sighed and reached over for her phone, double checking the time.  
  


[Velvet: 06:57] 

Are u and Yang up yet?

[Blake: 07:12] 

yeah, we’re just up. have you and coco left yet?

[Velvet: 07:12] 

Yup, we’re on our way there now

[Velvet: 07:12] 

If u guys get there soon we could probably take off earlier 

[Blake: 07:13] 

alright, i can take a hint

* * *

After an hour of coercing of being coerced by Blake to get ready to leave with breakfast and promises of things she wasn’t intending to go through with (she would never go skydiving), Yang eventually grabbed her stuff to leave. Which wasn’t all that much as they were fairly prepared from packing their bags the day before.

However, nothing could’ve prepared them for a six hour flight to Mistral, with another four hungover morons plus Blake, Velvet and Pyrrha. There were eight of them in total going to Mistral. Weiss so generously shelling out four of her models and two of her makeup artists/hairstylists so that no one would be messing with her models. In all honesty, Yang thought that Weiss’ control freak nature kicked in and that she didn’t want any stylist messing with her or Pyrrha... Sun and Neptune were probably expendable in her mind. 

“What’s the plan when we get here?” Coco asked, head tilted back and resting against Velvet, who was flicking through her tablet at their plans for the next few days. Yang looked to Blake next to her, expecting an onslaught of thoughts and opinions on their schedule for the week. But, all she was met with was Blake staring blankly at her tablet, the screen having turned back and only reflecting a picture of herself back at her. 

“It’ll be nine at night when we get to Mistral, so we’re relaxing for tonight but tomorrow everyone needs to be up and ready by seven,” Velvet said, not missing a beat. 

Yang grumbled and tucked her face into Blake’s neck, dramatically making a deal out of the short period they had until it was go time. Usually, Blake would’ve laughed, but she simply smiled and lifted her hand up to caress Yang’s cheek. Which wasn’t odd but it wasn’t her usual reaction. The blonde gently gripped Blake’s hand and tapped her thumb off of her hand to get her attention. 

“What’s going on with you, baby?” Yang whispered, leaning forward to look at Blake’s face. She was only grateful that their seats were at the front so it gave them some modicum of privacy. God, if Sun tried to butt in on one more private conversation Yang was going to kill him. Blake didn’t reply and only squeezed her hand back, shaking her head as she leaned back into her girlfriend. “You can tell me what’s going on, you’ve been a little off since yesterday.”

“I’ll tell you later, I promise,” Blake murmured, softly kissing Yangs jaw and cuddling into her side. “Weiss said we should be careful when we’re on this trip by the way. There’s gonna be a lot of press here. So it’s a big _no_ on any public affection.”

“But... I don’t really care if people see. I’m not trying to hide the fact that you’re my girlfriend.”

“I know, I think Weiss just wants it to go down more smoothly than your last title of ‘two queens, one schmuck’,” Blake chuckled, gaining an exasperated sigh from Yang and her suddenly hiding behind her travel pillow. The embarrassing memory of when she had been far too out of it to know what she was doing and trying to flirt with both malachite twins at the after party of the Ozcars. 

“Not funny,” Yang growled, gaining a light giggle from Blake. “But like I was saying, I’m really proud to be your girlfriend so it’s... well, I don’t mind if people know.”

Blake smiled softly, and Yang watched as her eyes began to water. She pursed her lips and nodded, leaning further into Yang’s side until her head was tucked into her neck. Somehow, Yang knew that she was alright. 

“I’m proud that I’m your girlfriend too...” Blake said. “And I actually think it’d be nice if people knew.”

“Is this about Neon-“

“I didn’t appreciate her sending... unsolicited nudes at three in the morning, knowing that she’s gonna see you tomorrow.” Yang laughed and dropped a kiss onto Blake’s forehead, chuckling as she tried to fish her phone out of her pocket.

“Yang don’t- oh, you’re deleting them.”

“Of course, I’m not a monster. Plus I forgot to earlier so this was a nice reminder,” Yang said, pulling the blanket they had brought onto the plane up over Blake, covering her. They cuddled up together, listening to the conversations behind them.

“Jaune, how are you feeling?” Sun asked, reaching across the aisle to bump his shoulder. Jaune groaned and put his hands over the eye mask that was already covering his vision. Pyrrha smiled sheepishly and supportively wrapped an arm around his shoulders, hugging him.

“Sorry Sun, he gets airsickness,” Pyrrha explained, her false nails lightly digging in to Jaune’s hoodie. The blonde boy nodded, still not speaking a word. Sun awkwardly ruffled his hair, grinning apologetically. Beside him, Neptune nodded and leaned forward, resting his elbow on the seat in front of him.

“I totally get that,” Neptune said, nodding and smiling easily. “I mean, I’m afraid if the water.”

Sun nodded in agreement, his arms folded across his chest and his shirt seeming far too tight on his arms. “Yeah, totally support you through this flight man-“

“Can you both please shut the fuck up?!” Coco roared, whipping a pillow at Sun’s fun from across the plane. The blonde boy yelped as it collided with his face, scrambling to grab it off of him. Neptune caressed his cheek and looked over at Coco in absolute horror. “Why... did you touch his face like that?”

“Because he’s my bro, I can’t let him be hurt!”

“That’s... _okay_ ,” Coco sighed, shaking her head as she rested back against Velvet. “I’m on a private jet... with two idiots and those two assholes who think we don’t know they’re making out up there.”

“They’re both asleep,” Velvet said, quickly glancing up front to Blake and Yang’s seats.

“V... it’s a matter of principle.”

“I think you just like to complain.”

During this, Blake and Yang weren’t actually asleep. But they were very entertained by the noise going on behind them.

* * *

So, Blake never did tell her what was going on. But, to be fair, she and Blake had gotten into their hotel rooms and taken a bath together. 

The odd part was that they had been booked in to have completely different rooms. And the even odder part was the fact that Weiss had been the one to book everyone’s rooms. Yang would be lying if she said she wasn’t even a little angry at Weiss. 

Clearly, there was something wrong with everyone. Weiss somehow felt the need to mingle in her love life and Yang couldn’t say she was all that appreciative of it. Because telling them they had to be careful whilst out in public here was one thing, but giving them separate rooms was downright insulting. 

She was sat in one of the many chairs, jaw clenched as she looked over herself in the mirror. Jaune had just barely finished up on her makeup, a gothic look to match the outfit she was wearing on the runway tonight. The designer wanted some sort of rockstar theme to draw in a crowd, so she settled herself with the idea that she would be strutting around in leather and a guitar. 

“Are you trying to pull off the moody goth look or are you mad?” Coco asked, as she picked out Yang’s clothes from the rack. She was actually very intrigued by the spiked leather jacket, multiple badges littered across it... she might actually have to steal one. Possibly a second one for Blake, she’d look great in that jacket.

“I’m just... it doesn’t matter,” Yang said, waving Coco off. Both Coco and Jaune shared a look, glancing at each other other. 

“Blake problems?” Jaune asked, whilst remaining intensely focused on her hair. Yang hummed but still didn’t answer, instead opting to fish her phone out of her zipper pocket. Maybe it would make her feel better if she yelled at Weiss over text... that was always a good past time. 

[Yang: 17:02] 

hey weiss yd u gv me n blake diff rooms?

[Weiss: 17:02] 

Because I’m not in the mood to cleanup another public outcry about you. It’s for yours AND Blake’s own good.

“She booked separate rooms for you two? That’s shitty,” Jaune commented, glancing over her shoulder at her phone. Yang sighed, and scratched her arm nervously. Coco let out a low whistle as she played around with the clothes on the rack, picking out jeans and a pair of combat boots for Yang next. “So that’s what’s got you in a bad mood.”

“Well, yeah, kind of,” Yang said, tapping her fingers off of her phone. “It’s not as if Blake cares if people find out either.”

“Hey, is Blake reporting on the show tonight?” Coco asked, glancing over at Yang. 

“Yeah, she’s in the front row.”

They both stopped to stare at each other, Coco grinning as she whipped her sunglasses off. “I think I’ve got an idea.” 

* * *

In truth, Blake had never been to a fashion show before. Her previous boss and Adam would never dare send her to one of these, deciding that she wasn’t worthy enough to go. Which she never minded in previous years. She only missed the glitz and the glamour of what could be one of the most exciting parts about her career. That’s all. 

She was also rather nervous. Because she was solo for this part of the show, Velvet having taken the previous one and the after party tonight.

Her heels clacked off of the ground as she walked inside, gulping at the mass amount of people around her. Everyone beautifully dressed and could have been models themselves. It made her feel a little self-conscious, tugging at the collar of her turtleneck dress, her leather coat. A part of her felt a little better at the fact that she had borrowed a few of Yang’s watches, able to show off that as her one aspect if anyone here were to ask... she could also show off that Yang Xiao Long was her girlfriend but Weiss had told them not to do that.

Blake held her tablet close to her chest, purse clutched in her hand as she searched for her name on the seats. This may actually be more embarrassing than she thought it was. Because she knew she was in the front row just not which seat exactly. Hopefully, she would take her notes, smile at Yang, then this would be over. She could take off back to the hotel, have dinner then slink back over to Yang’s room for the night.

Another part of this nuisance if a trip that she wasn’t too grateful for but, y’know, surface level. Weiss was her friend and her boss, she wouldn’t forget that.

“Excuse me,” a man with dull blue hair spoke from the seats, pointing to the one beside him. “Are you Blake?”

She thanked whatever gods were out there for this saint of a man saving her the embarrassment of strolling around like an idiot for the next who knows how long. Blake said a quick thank you and plopped herself down in the seat, realising now that she was directly in front of the runway. This would be a treat.

“I’m Henry,” he said, turning towards Blake and offering out his hand. Politely, she shook it, smiling at him. “I’m glad it’s you in this seat and not some random douche.”

“Does that happen often?” Blake asked, amused by the comment. Mostly because she knew she would complain about the same thing.

He laughed and nodded, scratching at his cheek. She swore she had seen him somewhere before, somehow he seemed familiar. She didn’t much care though, it seemed like he was going to carry on his conversation no matter what she were to say now.

“More often than you think. But it’s a pleasure to have someone so beautiful sitting next to me.” Yup, that’s just about as much as she expected. Blake decided a long time ago that men were terrible aside from a select few. Henry was not apart of that select few.

“Sorry, I’m not really comfortable flirting with a stranger. It’s disrespectful to my girlfriend,” Blake said, thankful that the lights were beginning to turn towards the runway and that everyone was beginning to quieten down. Henry shuffled in his seat, scratching his neck. He pouted and shook his head.

“A shame, really. We would’ve been good-“

“I’m just gonna stop you there because the show’s about to start and I have notes to take,” Blake said, scrunching her nose up as she pulled up a document on her tablet. Excited for the next while about her first fashion show... maybe she had been missing out.

It honestly didn’t disappoint. The music kicked in, a hardcore rock song beating through the speakers as the models walked out. Much more gothic than she initially thought it would be. Coco and Yang had told her little parts of what the lines might be that were being showcased, but overall it wasn’t really what she expected. It was right up her alley though. 

She chuckled when Pyrrha strutted along the runway, her usual cheery demeanour replaced by something entirely different. It was exciting however when Pyrrha broke her act to smile and wink at her. It made her a little giddy to know that she knew a few people who were being photographed in what was about to be the latest fashion trend.

But if Blake thought everything was amazing before, it would never top when Yang came out onto the runway. Sure, she was absolutely in love with awkward, t-shirt and slacks Yang who would fall over herself to do anything for Blake. But leather studded, hot rockstar Yang was an absolute treat. The guitar swung over her back as an accessory only added to the aesthetic.

She honestly didn’t need to take notes down on Yang, this was all being committed to memory.

Yang somehow maintained a serious expression for more than ten seconds, before she began to grin as she neared the edge of the runway. But unlike every other model, she didn’t stop to show off her outfit or hit her turn.

_No_.

She walked right off of the runway, coming straight towards Blake.

“Yang, what’re you doing...” Blake mumbled, her cheeks heating up at this whole situation. Because Yang was staring directly at her as she continued to close that gap between them, as was the rest of the building. She didn’t know whether to be mortified or... anything else. What was going on?

The blonde leaned over, cupping Blake’s jaw in her hands as she gently captured her lips, hands shaking lightly. Blake chuckled and reciprocated, pushing locks of blonde hair away. She didn’t want to be the one who was blamed for messing up her hair. Cameras flashed in the background, claps and cheers coming from around them.

“Yang-“

“No, listen, I don’t really know what’s going on with you, but that’s okay. ‘Cause I’m here for you,” she said quickly, drawing her thumb over Blake’s cheek. “A-And I just wanted everyone to know that because I am so madly in love with you...” she gulped, visibly very nervous.

“Yang... this is terrifying-“

“I’m sorry-“

“No, I mean that no one’s ever loved me this much, and it scares me. Because you’re amazing and I love you more than anything,” Blake said, stealing another kiss before pulling away, beginning to try and push Yang away. Possibly coax her back up onto the runway. The blonde grinned widely, laughing happily at the two of them. “Go finish the show, then we’ll go back to the hotel, alright?”

“Alright- oh, also, do you want one of these jackets? I think it’d look hot-“

“Yang we’re either gonna get banned or fired-“

“Okay, I’m going,” Yang said, planting one final kiss onto her lips before skipping back up onto the runway. Blake bit her lip to suppress a smile, intoxicated by this crazy feeling that could only be Yang.

“So that’s your girlfriend?” Henry asked.

Blake nodded, saying, “Hell fucking yeah it is.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! Just bear with me because I’m going back through my fic plan for later chapters and changing some things up. Anyways, thanks everyone for reading, hope y’all enjoyed, and until next time I guess.


	15. Chapter 15

Blake lay on her back, scrolling through articles on her phone whilst she lay in bed. Videos and pictures of she and Yang kissing at the fashion show being the headline of every magazine. She bit her lip, looking over multiple texts and messages from her mom about what had happened. 

**[Mom: 07:30]**

Hi hunny, I saw the fashion show, was so romantic  😱 really liked Yang’s outfit, tell her I said hi! xx

**[Blake: 07:30]**

thanks mom, i will xx

Yang shifted beside her, leaning up to trail kisses along Blake’s neck to her jaw. Blake chuckled and set her phone aside, snaking her arms around Yang’s neck and cuddling into her. The blonde kept grinning as she slid her hands up along Blake’s back, stopping for a moment to pull the covers higher over her body. Although the sentiment was considerate and chivalrous to a degree, the covers barely slid up far enough to graze her shoulders, any higher would leave their feet exposed to the cold air. Honestly, she couldn’t believe that Weiss thought that giving them separate rooms with single beds would stop them. 

“Hey,” Yang said, laughing when Blake gently jabbed her shoulder by accident. “What were you looking at?”

“Pictures from last night.”

“Didn’t know there were cameras in this room.“

“Because footage of us watching a Grimm Eclipse film is so scandalous?”

“I mean, you were the one who called it trash.”

“Shut up, smartass,” Blake said, lightly pushing Yangs face away. The blonde laughed and pushed Blake back in retaliation, only for it to devolve into a play fight between the two of them. Blake turned and grabbed her pillow, pushing it into Yang’s face, a muffled yelp coming from her lips. Laughing, she quickly grabbed the yellow t-shirt tossed to the floor, throwing it on as she darted into the bathroom.

“Did you just steal my shirt?!”

“You don’t have proof!”

“I do, you’re _wearing_ the shirt,” Yang cackled, following her into the bathroom. The blonde smiled and slid her arms around Blake’s waist, leaning against her as she gathered some things from the countertop, different creams and moisturisers she had brought from her room the night before. “Are you leaving now?” Yang said, pouting at her in the mirror. 

“I have to, I’ve got two interviews this morning and a show in the afternoon,” Blake said, letting herself lean back into Yang, who held her upright. “And if I remember right, you have a lot to do this morning, too.”

“Yeah, but I wish we could spare twenty minutes or something,” Yang says sadly, sighing as she pulls away from Blake. Her feet patter off of the tiles and onto the carpet, Blake watching her stroll away in the mirror. It tugged at her heart slightly, to think that Yang was genuinely upset that she had to go to work soon. Blake spun on her heel, slowly following her back into the room, leaning on the doorframe. 

She watched as Yang fiddled with her phone, completely mesmerised. 

“I’m sorry that I won’t be able to speak to you again until tonight,” Blake said quietly, gaining no response from Yang but a nod of her head. A part of her was dumbfounded that Yang might actually be angry right now. It wasn’t her fault, she couldn’t control her work schedule. She raised her brow, a cheeky lilt to her voice as she asked, “Are you mad?” 

“No, of course not,” Yang said, raising a brow back at her. “I just thought we’d have more time to get breakfast or something.”

And, of course, Yang wasn’t Adam. She didn’t get angry over stupid bullshit. Blake winced, smiling apologetically as she strolled over to hug Yang, who hurriedly threw her phone onto the bed (although, Blake was mildly suspicious of that). Giggling, she gripped Yang’s shoulders and heaved herself up, Yang quickly grabbing her thighs to keep her from falling. Another laugh, and Blake was resting her head on Yang’s shoulder, enjoying being held.

“Do you want to go out tonight when you get back?” Yang asked, sighing at the feeling of Blake gently scratching at her scalp. 

“Depends on what you’re scheming.”

“I don’t _scheme_!”

“You definitively do,” Blake chortled, gently patting Yang’s hands to let her down. She smiled warmly at the pout Yang wore on her face. It was always pleasant to see the variety of expressions Yang had in her arsenal, with this and a few others being her favourites. Sometimes she wished that she was a photographer to capture it, because (if she could get away with anything as insane as this) she would sit with a camera all day long to capture each tiny sample of happiness. 

Blake leaned forward to kiss her slowly, pulling away after a long moment. “But, yeah, that sounds good. I would just have to get changed once I get back.”

“Got it,” Yang husked, gently squeezing Blake’s hand before she turned to leave, watching her grab a jacket belonging to Yang before taking her chances with the hallway. 

Blake was barely closing the door over before Yang was rushing to grab her phone again, immediately swiping the missed call to catch up on forgone conversations. 

“How dare you ignore me!” Weiss’ shrill voice screeched through the speaker. 

Yang rolled her eyes, gently placing her hand on her hip as she moved to gaze out of the window. “You’ll get over it. Did you check it for me?”

“Check what? You left me a list.”

“Blake’s apartment.” She nervously twiddled with her fingers, double checking that the door was closed over and that Blake wasn’t actually listening in. That would be awkward. No, that’s a lie, Blake would kill her for being so protective. “Has Adam been there or anything?”

Weiss sighed, the sound of papers rustling in the background filtering through the silence. “I went with Winter and it was... _weird_.”

“Weird? How?”

“Do you know when you get a bad vibe from somewhere?” Weiss asked, Yang knew she was likely spinning in her office chair like she was some important authority on a business meeting. “It was like we felt someone in the apartment with us, but we weren’t sure if someone was there so we just swept the place then left. The neighbour did say she saw someone go in a few hours before we did though.”

So he had definitely been there. That was a weight off of Yang’s mind. She didn’t look entirely crazy now.

“Thanks Weiss, that actually really helped.” Yang pushed her bangs back, puffing out a sigh as she thought about their options. “I think I’ll ask if she wants to move in with me for a little while. I’m not... I don’t want her to be there alone...“

“And even if you’re both there it’s hard to predict what he’s going to do.” Weiss finished the sentence, likely thinking the same thing as well. “She basically lives with you anyway. It seems harmless- actually, I have a bone to pick with you Xiao-Long!”

“What’s that-“

“Do _NOT_ pull a stunt like that again on a runway or I will have you blacklisted.”

“Do it, I’ve heard people love the bad girl status.” And she was back in her normal, playful mood. She heard Weiss sigh and shuffle around on the other end of their call, an object thudding off of something else. Most likely her bashing her forehead off of a wall. “What were you saying about setting up your sister with someone at your wedding?” Yang asked.

“Yeah, do you know anyone?”

“Robyn Hill.”

“You seriously think that setting up a cop with a lawyer is a good idea.”

“It’s either Robyn or Cinder-“

Another thud, louder this time, followed by a long sigh. Yang narrowed her eyes, slightly worried that she would bash her own head in at this point. “Are you good? You keep smacking your head or something.”

“No, Ruby is building my new desk at home and I keep checking to make sure she hadn’t hurt herself,” Weiss chuckled. “So I’ll see you when you get back?”

“I think me and Blake are gonna take a vacation together for a couple days, we’ve been working nonstop so...” she realised that Weiss was uncharacteristically silent.

“You do realise that even though fashion week is over, Blake is still going to have to write articles-“

“Weiss, she’s had two hours sleep because she’s been up all night writing about yesterday’s shows. Just give us this.”

* * *

Blake loved her job. Really, she did. She loved the getting dressed up, how often she would get paired with her friend and they could go on adventures to all of these shows that she used to watch when she was younger.

It had never been a lifetime dream to get into this career, Blake knew that, even now as she was smoothing her dress in the mirror; some designer brand that she had bought specifically for work occasions such as this. Her idea had been to graduate then move on to becoming a journalist in the media, making changes in the world. She thought that with her families political background that it would be easier.

And it was. But then Adam offered her a job and she didn’t want to refuse. She didn’t regret it either though.

“Blake, you coming?” Velvet asked, idly fixing her camera. They were covering a few more shows today, with Velvet coming as her photographer. It worked out better this way as Blake would know to expect the work actually to be finished. She could gather the photos and have all of their articles finished by the end of the trip if she was willing to forfeit a few hours sleep every night.

There was also another crucial part of today that she needed to get over and done with as quickly as possible: interviews.

Blake despised interviews with every fibre of her being. She did not care what some coked up model had to say about themselves. The only reason she says this - even if she did sound hypocritical - is because she had never heard one person talk for as long a model could. For people who men would probably describe as brain dead, they sure were extremely smart with a lot of opinions... and things to promote.

Not a fan of that part. It meant she had to essentially write an advertisement for something she wasn’t even getting paid for.

Then there were the models who were so intelligent to the point where she was both awestruck and bored to tears. Take the guy she was interviewing right now, for example. Flynt Coal (egregiously named, she thought) seemed like a genuinely nice and charming guy, very attractive as well with the intelligence to back it up (and she supposed he hadn’t been put on the cover of Atlas Atelier fourteen times for no reason). But... he was boring. He had a few good points that she agreed with, but overall, boring. Only spoke about his interest in brass instruments.

Actually, that was a mildly alarming sentence, she now realised as she jotted it down. If she was on a dating app and saw ‘keen on brass instruments’ she would assume that person was a serial killer and run away. But if they said they were musical and played the trombone, that would’ve different... she would have to text this to Yang, she would be intrigued.

“I meant to say; what your girl did last night was brave,” Flynt said, catching her entirely off guard. Velvet snickered beside her, bumping Blake’s arm with her elbow. “It was a bold move.”

“Yeah... I think she thought that it would be the easiest way to break it to the press,” Blake says as she settles back in her seat, prepared for her next and final interview of the day before she moved onto a show. “Surprisingly, our boss hasn’t chewed us out for it yet.”

Flynt hummed, nodding. “Respect. I’ll catch your article later Belladonna, have fun with the next gal.” He patted her shoulder as he walked passed, the door clunking behind him as he left.

“Who’s our next interview?” Blake asked, head snapping over to Velvet. The brunette pulled out her tablet, scrolling through their schedule for the day. Blake could’ve died off at the sight of the next name in bold letters, reading: Neon Katt.

She whipped out her phone as she heard the door click open again. 

**[Blake: 14:08]**

i hate you

** [Yang: 14:08] **

y?

“Heyyyyyyy!” Neon sang, flopping down into her seat. She grinned and pointed at Blake. “O-M-G, I know you!”

**[Blake: 14:09]**

i’m interviewing neon

** [Yang: 14:09]  **

I’m v sorry

“God, Flynt was right you are a total bore,” Neon groaned, exaggeratedly flopping backwards in her seat. Blake raised an eyebrow, baffled and not at all surprised. She looked over to Velvet, who only shrugged in response, pretending to search through her camera roll instead. “I don’t know how top-heavy can cope.”

“Are... do you mean Yang?” Blake asked. She was completely lost and she was barely into the conversation. 

“Yeah, _y’know_ ,” Neon smirked as she flipped her hand at Blake, “because she has big-“

“Yeah, I got that.” Her ears flicked back, eyes narrowing. Right now, she would rather come off as hostile than a total pushover to this girl, plus, she was really annoying. As in, unnecessarily annoying because she knew that she could get under Blake’s skin. Velvet snorted a laugh beside her, quickly covering her mouth when Blake glared at her. 

“Okay,” Blake blew out a breath, recomposing herself and sitting up straight. “So, later this afternoon you’re walking-“

“Away from you, like your girlfriend.” Neon casually checked her nails. “No wonder she’s in other girls DM’s...”

Another glance over to Velvet, who had went from mild amusement to on the verge of tears. Blake mouthed, “It’s not funny.”

Clearing her throat, she composed herself again. Never before had she had this much trouble during an interview, which told her a lot about this girl in general. So difficult for no reason whatsoever. She supposed that the fun, carefree and colourful persona was only that, on the inside was something a little more spiteful and, dare she say, bitchy. 

“Yang doesn’t message other girls, can we-“

“How do you know she doesn’t, huh?” Neon questioned, poking her acrylic nail at Blake and waving it around in the general direction of her face. Blake furrowed her brow, confused. Because clearly the answer was that she had been on Yang’s phone many times just to look things up on the internet and knew there was nothing there. But she would take the bait.

“Because I’ve been on her phone?” Blake answered, confusion evident. Neon scrunched up her face and sucked in a breath through puckered lips, pointing at Blake again. 

“So you don’t trust her, you know you can just delete messages right-“

“And you know I don’t have to do this interview right?” Blake snapped, finally reaching her breaking point. “Also, I know that you were trying to message Yang, and clearly you care because she didn’t reply, but could you please just let me get this over with.”

Velvet hummed, ears flicking as they both watched Neon’s slow reaction to Blake’s comment. The girls tail slowly curled up before bouncing back out excitedly, the bangles around it jingling with the movement. Her face lit up, a grin spread across her lips. A part of Blake was actually disappointed that she didn’t seem the least bit shook at what she had said.

“Okay, feisty gal, I’ll play along,” Neon sang, crossing her legs before finally (finally!) settling into the seat like a normal person. “Let’s get this thing started!”

Blake had to withhold the groan threatening to escape from her mouth, which would no doubt turn into a scream of frustration if she were to let it happen. 

* * *

Confession time: Yang had nothing planned for their date. 

In truth, she had gotten out of a show way earlier than she thought she would’ve (as she somehow managed to skip the after party as well). Yang had been spending her time pacing back and forth in the hotel lobby, waiting for inspiration to strike as she bit her thumb nervously. It was reaching early evening, and she knew that Blake wouldn’t be here for a couple more hours. Maybe she should go over the options.

Option one (the classic): dinner and a movie. There were a multitude of restaurants just spread around the area of the hotel that Blake would love. Yang had actually spent some of her downtime scouring the menus of said restaurants in an attempt to prepare for this exact reason. Then Blake could pick the movie and Yang would chalk it up to her being the ‘expert’, although Yang would probably not at all be interested in the film. However, this was a fairly regular thing for them to do together... so it was off the table.

Option two: they could try out a bunch of the couples things in this hotel. Another thing that she had looked at in her downtime was what their hotel offered. Because, hey, if Weiss is paying for it Yang’s philosophy is go nuts. There were things like couples massages, a bunch of treatments that sounded fancy and a hot spring that they could probably get privately. Although... she wasn’t sure if they could still do any of these by the time Blake would get back.

Option three (her personal favourite): rent a motorcycle and go for a picnic. Argus wasn’t cold enough that heavy jackets would be required at night, and Blake had always expressed her love for Yang’s motorcycle that lay idle in the living room of her apartment. Plus, she had managed to snag some of those leather jackets that she had been modelling the day before, a pair of jeans and some boots would mean that they were set right? This plan was looking good for her.

So, with sudden impulsive decision, she chose option three. Which led to a quick phone call to Weiss.

“What do you want Yang?! I’m making dinner!” Weiss spat, growling across the phone at her.

“Since when do you cook?”

“Yang-“

“Okay, okay, sheesh,” Yang chuckled. “Can you hire me a motorcycle? I want to take Blake out.”

“In all seriousness, do you mean on a date or kill her?” Yang sighed, plopping herself down on one of the sofas, already defeated. “I’m joking. There’s a dealership a couple streets away, I’ll call up and all you need to do is go pick it up.”

“Have I told you that I’m so happy you’re gonna be my sister-in-law- and she’s already hung up.”

* * *

“Yang?” Blake called out as she closed the hotel door behind her. She supposed she wasn’t here since the room was in darkness, but a part of her wished she was. Honestly, today had been exhausting, so she was hoping that she could convince Yang to just stay in bed with her for the rest of the night.

Looking around the room, her eyes caught onto the yellow note sat on the bed, a leather jacket sat below it. She chuckled and rolled her eyes, picking up the note with a fond smile on her face. Even though she was tired, she appreciated the thought that went into it.

> Blake,
> 
> Get changed and come to the front door of the lobby.
> 
> Oh and wear the jacket, you might need it.
> 
> Love, Yang xx

With a half-hearted smile, Blake began to set about getting changed into a more casual outfit. Pulling on a pair of jeans and one of Yang’s hoodies, she slipped into a pair of her own leather boots before finally pulling the jacket on over the hoodie. She supposed that, if someone saw them (whatever they were doing), she looked nice enough for it.

She wondered what Yang would have waiting for her downstairs, briefly, until she got closer to the doorway. 

Blake threw her head back, laughing loudly at the sight in front of her. Yang was sat on a bright yellow motorcycle, something alike the one she had in her own apartment, wearing almost the exact same outfit as Blake save for the hints of colour on her. Yang smiled and waited as she approached, offering a helmet with places made for her ears to fit.

“So, you’re taking me for a ride?” Blake asked, readily swinging her leg over the bike to sit behind Yang. She began to fix the helmet over her head, pulling the visor down in preparation. 

“Late night picnic,” Yang said simply. Blake’s stomach did a flip at the cute little idea... or maybe she was just starving, but it was adorable. Yang reached her arms behind her to grab Blake’s wrists, guiding her to wrap her arms around her waist.“You’re gonna want to hold on tight, and lean when I lean. It’s not too hard as long as you move with me.”

“Got it, anything else.” Blake made herself comfortable, fixing her feet onto the footrests and tightly gripping Yang’s waist. 

“Nope. Just enjoy.” 

With no further ado, Yang drove forward, the engine roaring behind them. It was actually terrifying, seeing as it was the first time Blake had ever drove on a motorcycle, but it was also freeing. Like the world was whizzing by and she was only a vessel for happiness, snuggled up against Yang’s back as she drove. 

It was great... like she had no other worries... almost as if Adam had never existed...

She was _safe_. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I disappeared on you guys, I’ve been super stressed with school. But Y’know hey ho, new chapter, I hope y’all enjoyed it! Also yes I skipped out on a lil picnic scene, but wait until next chapter with their vacation

**Author's Note:**

> Yeehaw, my new series folks. I’m actually excited to write this one because I’ve had the plan written up for a while now. 
> 
> Tell me what everyone thinks of it. Do you like it? Do you hate it? I don’t know, share your thoughts in the comments.


End file.
